Jackson
by madame.alexandra
Summary: The Gibbs family is about to diverge from Jenny's carefully constructed parenting/career plan. ACD 'verse!
1. Legal Christ

_a/n: so, here's another 5 chapter little foray into the ACD universe that may or may not have been foreshadowed recently ... :D _

* * *

_"Legal Christ"_

_Washington D.C. / Bethesda, Maryland / Alexandria, Virginia_  
_November, 2022._

* * *

Jennifer Gibbs sat with her fingers pressed hard against her forehead, eyes narrowed at the blurry black type of the most recent legislation she'd been assigned to review – the legislation wasn't blurry, her eyesight was, and she grudgingly suspected that was causing her dull headache.

She was too _young_ to be losing her eyesight, wasn't she? It should be her husband getting squinty-eyed, not her.

She snorted quietly to herself, made a mental note to lightly tease him about his age tonight – she'd been mocking him for pushing forty since he turned thirty-eight, she liked to start early – and then focused harder on the Senate's most recent bill concerning bioethics.

"Want a break?"

Jenny looked up at the chipper voice that interrupted, and found her office doorway occupied by a smirking woman with long, fascinatingly straight blonde hair. The redhead smiled and gestured at a leather chair near her desk, and her colleague stepped in, placing two cups of coffee delicately on the edge of Jenny's desk.

"You got stuck with the genome bill?"

Jenny leaned back in her chair, giving a small nod to the woman opposite her – Ainsley Hayes had been taken on as an associate counsel at the same time as Jenny, though she hailed from Harvard Law. She was probably Jenny's closest friend in the office.

"I need to talk with the NIH legal team; I can't rule on this without stricter understanding of the terminology," Jenny muttered.

"Want to trade?" Ainsley asked. She snorted, and leaned forward, nudging one cup of coffee towards Jenny. "This is for you – I got saddled with the language in part seven of the Welfare Reform Act."

Jenny whistled under her breath, laughing and reaching for the coffee.

"No, you can have that."

Ainsley looked disappointed in a good-natured way, and picked up her coffee, taking a long sip. She pushed a bit of her long blonde hair behind her ear and leaned forward, crossing one leg and resting her elbow on her knee.

"I know you've taken your lunch break, but this is mine, so I'm giving you an excuse to slack off," she said wryly, and then gave her a small wink. "The intern told me to come ask for a Halloween picture?"

Jenny arched her eyebrows, and then flushed slightly. She smiled.

"Ainsley," she said, snorting, "She's talking about a picture of my girls."

Ainsley nodded, her bright eyes wide.

"I don't hate children," she said.

"Yes, but you're one of my few friends without kids," Jenny said. She gestured between them. "Our thing is kid-free conversation."

Ainsley grinned.

"But I really like the movie," she pleaded wryly.

Jenny rolled her eyes with a small, proud grin and opened a drawer, reaching for her personal cell phone. She unlocked it, scrolled through her screens, and pulled up her most recent Instagram photo – taken a week or so ago, right after trick-or-treating.

She flipped it around and showed it to Ainsley, and the blonde took it, studying the photo. She gave it back swiftly, and puckered her lips, tilting her head in admiration.

"How did you do that?" she asked smugly. "They didn't even need wigs – and your dogs, they just put up with those reindeer ears?"

Jenny smiled again, shrugging.

"Not really," she said. "Pascal – he's the smaller one – he shook his off as soon as I got a decent picture, and Max's fell off while we were going from house to house."

"And you're not going to tell me the secret of how you got one blonde daughter, and one redhead?"

"I can draw you a Punnett square," Jenny teased. She licked her lips, and shrugged. "Katharyn's hair is getting darker. I don't think she'll stay blonde."

"Why does your husband look so unhappy in that photo?" Ainsley asked, bemused.

Jenny arched her brows mildly.

"Jethro? He always looks like that," she said. She snorted. "But in his defense, he hates _Frozen_."

Ainsley gasped.

"How?"

"He's old-fashioned," Jenny sighed. "He – well, he didn't want people thinking we named Anna after it, and then on top of that she watched it all the time, and she vigorously tried to change her sister's name to Elsa – " Jenny broke off, and she glared at Ainsley. "Look what you've done."

Ainsley took a sip of coffee, smirking.

"Okay; change the subject."

"How are you and that guy?" Jenny asked promptly.

"You know," Ainsley sighed dramatically, "I'm usually open to bi-partisanship in my relationships, but when I see the PETA membership card in your wallet, I'm out."

Jenny laughed, leaning forward and raising her cup in a small toast to Ainsley – the poor thing did seem to attract the most stringently liberal of liberals when it came to romance, and that naturally conflicted with her personal values.

She reached up and rubbed her temple again, massaging gently. She sighed and leaned forward, wishing she had more time to talk – but she did want to get home at a decent time, and Tribbey wanted her preliminary comments by the end of the day.

Ainsley seemed to sense her disquiet, and stood up.

"I'll let you get back to work," she said, just as Jenny's desktop phone rang. Jenny nodded gratefully, and then picked up the phone.

"This is Jenny Gibbs," she said clearly, and then a moment later, she said: "Shit—Hetty, I'm so sorry!"

Ainsley paused in the doorway, brows raised; she wasn't sure she'd ever heard Jenny swear before. She was a very cool, collected woman in the office. She leaned against the doorway, interested; Jenny stood up.

"I can reschedule," Jenny was saying. "You don't have to hold – well, yes, I'd rather get it done," she paused. "You're sure?" She nodded, and then she hung up, and Ainsley looked at her with curiosity, coffee cup hovering around her lips.

"You okay, Jenny?" Ainsley asked.

"Yes," the redhead muttered, sounding annoyed. "I," she paused, swore, and grabbed her coat and her purse. "I had lunch with that lobbyist and completely forgot I had a doctor's appointment on my break," she groused.

Ainsley arched her eyebrows.

"You want me to call over to the NIH for you, so someone can go over that legislation with you when you get back?"

Jenny swept towards her office door, resting her palm on Ainsley's shoulder.

"You're my hero," she said, relieved. "I won't be long," she checked her watch. "This – it never takes more than half an hour," she added, brushing past Ainsley and heading out.

She held her phone against her ear to call her boss and let him know she was stepping out, swearing mentally again – she couldn't believe she'd forgotten about this appointment – she'd been so proud of herself for wedging it right in the middle of a workday, right at the perfect time of month.

* * *

Jenny was mortified to have been _that_ patient, but Henrietta Lange was all smiles when she arrived at Bethesda Naval Hospital. The chic glasses she always wore were perched neatly on her nose, and she ushered Jenny into her exam room with a warm welcome.

"Hetty, it completely slipped my mind – "

"Stop apologizing, dear, for goodness' sake – doctors make patients wait enough, don't they?" she asked wryly, and then gestured to the pink bench for Jenny to take a seat.

Collapsing comfortably on the exam table, Jenny grinned – still feeling sheepish. She was glad she knew Hetty so well – the woman had been her gynecologist since she was seventeen, after all – or else she would have been so embarrassed she might have switched doctors.

"It's a hassle, I know," Hetty said, grabbing a clipboard off of one of the countertops. "No concerns have come up since we removed the arm implant?"

Jenny shook her head, shrugging – she was here because she'd been experimenting with birth control lately, and she'd finally made a decision. She'd had her trustworthy IUD put back in after Katharyn's birth, but there had been some issues with it staying put – then she'd decided to try the arm implant, as it was less invasive, but she hadn't liked its effect on her – and she'd finally decided it was best to go back to the IUD, though this time –

"Mirena again?" Hetty asked, looking up to clarify.

"No, ParaGard," Jenny corrected. "The twelve-year one."

"Ah, yes, and by the time we remove it, you probably won't need something as effective," Hetty murmured.

Jenny nodded – that was the plan. She could easily have her tubes tied and solve the problem that way, but she liked how birth control regulated her periods.

"Your last period?" Hetty asked.

"It's supposed to start in a few days," Jenny sighed, shrugging.

Hetty glanced up at her over her glasses, waiting patiently. Jenny frowned, reaching into her purse for her phone – she tracked the dates there.

"I'm sorry, Hetty," she apologized again. "The pills just – it never got on track right, after that arm thing," she muttered.

Hetty nodded, and reached for a box on the counter.

"No worries, my dear; I'll ensure that a nurse is about ready for the procedure, and you can get back to work," she said. She tossed the white box onto the exam table with Jenny and winked. "You know the drill."

Jenny nodded, distracted. She shoved her phone back into her purse – she'd get the exact date later, and then took the pregnancy test Hetty had given her into the small suite bathroom, opening it deftly. It was routine to ensure a patient wasn't pregnant before permanent birth control was inserted – she'd even had to do it when she was seventeen and a virgin because, as Hetty put it in a very tongue-in-cheek way: _everybody lies_.

She took the test, washed her hands, checked her reflection, and then left the bathroom, leaving the stick neatly on the counter for Hetty. Hetty appeared a moment later with an assistant, and Jenny was just turning to situate herself for the stirrups when Hetty paused, said something in a quiet voice to the assistant, and pointed towards the door.

The assistant left, and Jenny leaned back, pausing.

Hetty turned to her, and held up the stick.

"Jenny," she said, her eyebrows going up in mild surprise. "When was that last period date?"

Jenny blinked – she'd forgotten to check.

"I," she started, moving around, looking for her purse. "Well," she thought about it. "Oct – " she started, and then stopped, and stared at Hetty.

Hetty smiled at her, amused, and came forward, holding out the stick. Jenny flicked her eyes down – two pale pink lines leapt out at her, glimmering on the plastic screen, unexpected, and unmistakable.

"This indicates you're pregnant," Hetty said nicely. "I can't insert an IUD."

Jenny reached out slowly and took the test, holding it in her palm delicately. She stared for a moment, and then she looked up at Hetty – she considered saying it was impossible, but that was silly; she was sexually active, thus it was always possible.

That, and when she looked at the two pink lines, she immediately knew it was true – and she'd have known it earlier if she'd been paying attention, but considering she hadn't been trying for a baby, some of the mild, early signs had escaped her notice. Mild early signs being - headaches, and blurry vision.

"Hetty," she said quietly. "I don't even know if I missed October's period, it's been irregular – I can't be very far along; I'd know."

Hetty nodded goo-naturedly.

"Of course," she agreed. "I won't confirm anything until I do a blood test," she said matter-of-factly. "That I can get back to you by the end of the day – I assume you need to get back to work?"

Jenny nodded, her eyes back on the test. She suddenly felt inclined to catch up on morning sickness. She compressed her lips, and bit the inside of her cheek, her nails digging into her thigh – she was supposed to drop in, have her birth control inserted, and leave.

That was the plan; this was not.

Hetty placed her hand on Jenny's arm.

"Are you alright, Jenny?" she asked gently.

Jenny looked up, blinking hard. She nodded her head quickly.

"I assume this is a shock?" Hetty continued.

Jenny cracked a small smile, and tilted her head.

"I'll put a rush on the blood test," Hetty promised. "I'll call to confirm by six o'clock – I wouldn't worry, Jennifer," she said soothingly. "You're not quite old enough to be high-risk."

Jenny looked at her a little warily – she hadn't exactly been worrying about that, until Hetty mentioned it. The reason behind her stunned reception of the news was simply that she and Gibbs had decided they were done – she had worked everything out perfectly – or she'd thought she had.

* * *

She went back to work, but she was so distracted from that point on that she felt functionally useless; she kept reading the same sentence repeatedly, and she knew the legal advisor she met with from the NIH kept shooting her sideways glances as if she needed therapeutic help.

She ignored it with grace and powered through – she managed to channel enough self-control to complete the day's tasks and be out of the White House by six o'clock – an hour later than she wished, but average, for the past week.

She let the call from Hetty's personal phone at Bethesda go to voicemail, and she checked it as she walked up the sidewalk to her house, nodding firmly to herself when the results were exactly what she'd expected: pregnant.

She took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Immediately, both German Shepherds bounded towards her, and despite how chaotic she felt, she smiled; she loved the big animals, no matter how troublesome they could be.

"Max!" she cooed. "Pascal!"

She greeted them by name, closing the door so as not to let them scamper out, hanging up her coat, and bending forward to stroke their ears and kiss their snouts.

"DADDY! Mommy's home!"

She heard Anna's voice, and then the little redhead came careening down the stairs, burst in between the two dogs, and launched herself at Jenny. Jenny hugged her tightly, smirking – she kept wondering at what age they'd stop running to the door to greet her.

Katharyn followed close behind, waiting for a hug.

"Daddy's making _lasagna_!" Katharyn squealed, beaming as she received a kiss hello as well.

"He's such a keeper," Jenny complimented, ruffling both girls' hair. She ran her fingers through Katharyn's blonde waves, and then waded through the sea of children and canines and headed towards the kitchen.

"Daddy said he's hiring a new Pro-oh-oh-bie," Anna sang happily. "He said I can pick!" she giggled.

"Did he?" Jenny asked. "And how are you going to know who's qualified, little missy?"

She pointed to her heart solemnly, skipping alongside Jenny.

"My gut," she said seriously.

Jenny whipped around and aimed for Anna's stomach, tickling her lightly.

"This is your gut," she said, as her oldest daughter shrieked for mercy.

Jenny grinned and relented, finding her way into the kitchen. She felt a rush of relief when she saw Jethro standing there poking a dish with some utensil – relief, that she had him, and a little apprehension, because she wasn't sure how this conversation was going to go.

He turned around, biting a baked cheese off of a wooden spoon and tossing it into the sink.

"Hey, Jen," he greeted suavely, coming forward.

He put an arm around her and then dramatically dipped her back, giving her a devilish grin. Anna crinkled up her nose and watched earnestly as he placed a kiss to her mother's lips.

Jenny pushed him away, laughing, and shook her head.

"Jethro!" she whined good-naturedly. "What's the matter with you?"

He ran his hand over her spine, smiled, and then gave her a nice, respectable kiss on the corner of the mouth.

"They love it when I do that," he said smugly.

Jenny rolled her eyes. She leaned into him a moment, rested her chin on his shoulder, and caught his eye pointedly – he furrowed his brows slightly, opened his mouth, and then closed it; he nodded shortly. He was good at silent communication, and she was glad – he understood she wanted to talk to him seriously – later.

He let go of her, and then pointed at Anna and Katharyn.

"Wash your hands," he growled lightly. "Use soap," he added, with a pointed look at Katharyn – notorious for just sticking her little fingers under water and pretending she'd done it right.

Katharyn giggled shrilly and gave him a somewhat defiant look; Anna pulled her off to obey, and Jenny looked around.

"Paper plates, or dishes?" she murmured.

Gibbs shrugged.

"You choose," he said.

"I don't feel like dishes," she sighed, going for the cabinet where the paper items were. She started getting them out, and he stood behind her, touching her middle gently. She jumped, and he paused.

"Bad day, Jen?" he asked quietly.

She shook her head, tilting her head a little – no; she wouldn't call it bad. Bad was not what she was feeling; she wasn't sure what she was feeling, other than that persistent headache, and a considerable amount of anxiety.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, grunted as if he didn't believe her, and then reached for the plates to start doling out portions.

"I set things straight with Dad today," he said.

She looked over, glad to have something to talk about.

"Is he coming for Christmas?" she asked.

Gibbs shook his head; Jenny arched her brows.

"Is he that upset we're skipping Thanksgiving?" she asked, her voice taking on an edge.

"No," Gibbs said sincerely. "He re-connected with an old buddy; he's goin' down to see him."

"Oh," Jenny said, somewhat mollified. "But was he – "

"No, he gets it," Gibbs interrupted – they were staying in the area for Thanksgiving this year because Jenny couldn't get any time off work other than the Holiday itself, and Gibbs didn't want to go to Stillwater without her. "He wants to come for a visit in February."

"He can come any time," Jenny said.

Gibbs smirked, and looked at her wryly.

"You're the only wife who says that and means it," he snorted.

She shrugged, fetching child-sized cups from a cabinet and setting them down, quickly deciding if she was going to get milk or juice for the girls – she decided juice; milk was terrible with pasta.

"I like your father," she said warmly.

Gibbs nodded. He left four plates sitting on the counter and leaned against the sink, waiting for the girls to come back – Anna liked to help set the table, and Katharyn liked to follow.

Jenny chose a glass of water for herself, giving the beer in the crisper a somewhat annoyed look, as if it was the reason she'd had such a surprise today, and then she took up a place next to Jethro and mimicked his stance, waiting.

He turned his head and looked at her, his gaze intent. She ignored it, sipping on a glass of water. She could almost feel him trying to come up with what she called a _trap question_ – a question he could ask to provoke a telltale right-eye twitch when she answered.

She was wrong, though –

"Jen?" he asked quietly. "You okay?"

She smiled; she liked that he hadn't tried to play games with her, it was almost as if he sensed she wasn't being brazenly evasive, she was just collecting her thoughts. She inclined her head and nodded honestly.

"Later, Jethro," she promised.

There was plenty of time for dinner, and fast-talking, effervescent, bright-eyed, little girls first.

* * *

She sat on their bed in a relaxed position, one leg curled in towards her, the other stretched out comfortably. She was running a brush through her knotted hair – ponytails and swirly up-dos kept it out of her face at work, but it was murder to brush out at the end of the day.

"Anna has a Daisy meeting after school tomorrow," Jenny said. "Ziva's going to pick her up, and she's going to play at their house for a while – Ellie's a Daisy, too."

Anna had expressed interest in starting Girl Scouts when fifth grade girls from her school had come around recruiting, so she'd been signed up – she seemed to be enjoying it so far.

"They're gonna take 'em to the circus," Gibbs grunted from the bathroom. "In January, at the Patriot Center."

"Hmm," Jenny murmured, making a mental note – they'd probably want parent chaperones, then, to aid Anna's troop leader.

Gibbs came out of the bathroom.

"Noemi's gonna get Kate from Montessori," he said gruffly. "I'll get Anna from Ziva's on the way home."

He turned off the light, flicked on a bedside lamp, and stretched out on the bed, resting his head on the pillow for a moment and groaning in relief to finally get some rest. She pulled the brush through her hair again, watching him, and when he opened his eyes, she asked:

"You're going to hire someone new for the team?"

He nodded, shrugged, and brushed off the question.

"What's botherin' you, Jen?" he asked seriously.

He wasn't diverted for a moment; he took her seriously when she had something to discuss, and he didn't want to draw it out now – he had a dull feeling that she thought he had moved on too swiftly from his boss's death, but he was fine, and he was perfectly able to tell her that flat-out.

She lowered the brush from her hair and glanced at the door.

"The girls are asleep?"

"Kate was out before I finished the first book," he said.

Jenny licked her lips, tilting her head to the side. Her red hair tumbled over her shoulder, and she looked at him intently for a moment, her thoughts crashing together – she thought about how excited she'd been to tell him the other two times, how happy she'd been, and she latched onto those memories.

"I'm pregnant," she told him quietly.

She caught her breath.

He stared at her, and for a minute he looked about as baffled and shell-shocked as she imagined he would have looked if this accident had happened to them when they were dating, but the look only lasted a second. He rose up on his arm and did exactly what she thought he might do: he grinned.

"What?" he asked hoarsely, with a tone of surprise.

She nodded, her eyebrows rising up a little. She lifted her shoulders and held her hands out, still clutching the hairbrush. She swallowed, then licked her lips and took a deep breath.

"I took a test as a precaution," she said softly, "when I went to get the IUD today, and Hetty took blood to confirm," she paused, and licked her lips again. "She's estimating about three weeks."

Gibbs was staring at her, that half-grin still on his face. He sat up a little more, and then pushed himself into a sitting position, facing her full. She lowered her hands and twisted the brush in her lap, her heart skipping a few beats, watching him.

"Is it," he seemed to search for words. "Is it a fluke, or – you were takin' your pill," he said, narrowing his eyes a little wryly, "unless you were pullin' one over on me?"

She made a breathless, surprised noise and raised her eyes.

"Hell," she swore – she'd never do that to him. She shook her head, and caught his eye. "This is on me, Jethro," she sighed. "I missed a pill here and there," she admitted grudgingly. She was so busy – and after she'd missed it the second time, she'd forgotten to take it at the same time of day a few times – it was why she'd wanted back on the permanent stuff. "This wouldn't have happened if I was diligent."

The amused grin on his face faltered a little, and his brow furrowed.

"You upset?" he asked.

She held her breath a moment, trying to be diplomatic.

"I'm a little caught off guard, Jethro," she said warily. "We – we were done."

"I said I was okay with three," he pointed out.

She nodded, and smiled a little.

"Believe me, that's been a comforting thought," she said dryly. She had at least known that Gibbs had always said he'd like a third baby; it had kept her sane all day while she was silently assessing the future.

He looked at her a moment, his jaw tensing. He seemed a little frustrated.

"Are you," he started, pausing warily. "Are you _unhappy_, Jen?" he asked. "You don't want it?"

She looked a little startled; her green eyes widened, flickered, and she moved like she was going to lean forward and smack him, but she held her hand against her breasts, her knuckles curled. She shook her head.

"Jethro," she said honestly. "I'm going to _have_ the baby. I didn't meant to imply – I wouldn't want that," she promised hoarsely.

Her eyes stung, and he leaned forward, resting a hand on her bent knee. He rubbed back and forth, looking contrite. She took a deep breath again, closing her eyes.

"I'm – you know how I am," she said shakily. "I'm just … unprepared...Katharyn starts school next year; I planned it so well – "

"You can't plan every damn thing in life, Jen," he broke in pointedly, giving her a narrow look – it was an argument, a clash in personalities, they'd been having since they first started seeing each other.

"I know," she hissed, giving him a warning look. "But there was a reason to my timeline, Jethro, I – I was in law school while they were babies and toddlers because I could be home a lot more, I could see them grow up, I'm getting my career in swing as they're starting school – it works, that's how I was managing to do it all," she bit her lip. "I worked very hard in law school; I don't want to lose that."

"I don't care if you keep workin'," Gibbs said, giving her a strange look. "'M not that old-fashioned – you can do whatever the hell you want – "

"It's not you, Jethro, it's – the workplace, it's the bias – my White House job is demanding, competitive," she hesitated. "It might be considered more prudent to let me go than to give me maternity leave – "

Gibbs scoffed loudly.

"Lionel Tribbey is not gonna fire you, Jen," he interrupted loudly. "The man thinks you're the second coming of … Legal Christ."

She parted opened her mouth, amused, and laughed a little. She pushed a hand through her hair and bit her lip, considering what he'd said – he was right; she did have some worry that she'd lose her opportunity at the Counsel's office, but it wasn't a concrete fear.

"We got the money," Gibbs said. "I got a pay raise, you," he made a pointed face – her salary was, put simply, almost double his, "damn near make enough for _me_ to take maternity leave," he snorted, smirking at her.

She had never thought she'd consider Gibbs' promotion at NCIS to be a blessing; they were living comfortably and well with two kids, and he was right, it wouldn't break their backs to have a third – but it was still nice to know he had that extra team-leader salary.

Jenny took a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders, pressing one of her palms into her bent knee, stretching out her tight muscles. She pressed her other hand to her abdomen thoughtfully, looking at her husband.

"I feel blindsided," she said in a small voice. "I was always – I haven't been eating well, I've been drinking coffee like it's water, I drink," she listed, her stomach jumping with nerves. "I know I'm not old, but complication risks increase in your thirties," she trailed off again.

He nodded his head, understanding her concerns.

"You're not an alcoholic," he said simply. "You don't binge drink – you don't drink that much, Jen," he pointed out frankly. "Coffee," he lifted one shoulder. "You just cut back now."

She licked her lips.

"What about you?" she asked. "You aren't – don't you feel a little overwhelmed, Jethro?" she pushed, exasperated.

He shifted and crawled forward, sitting closer to her. He leaned forward, resting his hands on her thighs. He met her eyes, and shook his head from side to side, making sure he didn't break eye contact.

"'M trained for this," he drawled. "Anticipate the unexpected; adjust accordingly – "

"Oh, God, honey," she interrupted huskily, "not the Marine spiel again."

He gave her a blustering, proud look.

"Always the damn Marine spiel," he retorted.

He squeezed her knee, and then reached up to brush the line of her jaw with his knuckles, lightly massaging her skin.

"Jen," he said intently, giving her a supportive look. "For once in your life, just get over it – you didn't plan somethin'," he said.

She bit her lip, her eyes on his.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs," she murmured, her lashes twitching. "Are you – telling me to _let it go_?"

He glared at her menacingly, and she bit back a smirk. He shook his head.

"Be serious," he growled, and then pressed his forehead against hers a moment. He nudged her cheek with his nose, and pulled back to meet her eyes again. "How do you feel?" he asked.

She swallowed hard, and looked back at him, taking his advice – for a moment, she just cleared her head, and instead of thinking about how stressful the next few months were going to be – and how stressful it was going to be to start over – just when both of her kids were out of diapers, gaining some independence, starting school – and she thought about them, just them, not everything it took to take care of them, but how much she loved them – and she thought about the man sitting in front of her – the man who took everything in stride.

She smiled, and nodded her head.

"I feel good," she said quietly, blinking a few times.

He grinned, turning his hand over and splaying it against her neck. He felt the nervous skittering of her pulse, and he looked down, running his eyes over her – he didn't feel any of the stress or panic that seemed to have stricken her; he could do this, and he knew she just needed a few days to process the change.

"I love you," he murmured, pressing his lips to hers.

He pulled her down on the bed with him, wrapping his arms around her. His hand moved over her back, sliding under her loose t-shirt and pressing against her warm skin.

She nodded, resting her cheek against his chest for a silent moment. She lifted her head, and placed her hands on his neck, turning his head towards her, and she met his eyes, smiling a genuine, calmer smile.

"You mind if I try it again?" she asked.

He smirked at her, and ran his hand lower on her back, giving her a playful smack on the ass. He nodded, waiting smugly.

She bit her lip, and then gave him a brilliant smile that touched her green sparkling eyes.

"Jethro, I'm having another baby," she confided.

His little smirk became a grin, and he nodded firmly, moving his head forward to kiss her hard – he knew it was early, knew they'd have to keep it between the two of them for now, but he was more than willing to turn the playroom-slash-study into another bedroom – and there was that saying about three being the charmed number.

* * *

_November, 2022_

* * *

_it took me a bit to figure out a way for Jenny to be surprised without portraying her as a total moron. she's had two kids, there's no way she wouldn't realize she was pregnant as soon as she started having symptoms, i have them some run-of-the-mill birth control choice issues and ran with it. not to mention ... she's secure, they've got plenty of money and a place to live, it's understandable she wasn't AS stringent as she'd have been when she was 18 or 19 ... _

_-alexandra_

_story #251_


	2. BOOM!

_a/n: :D - I will say the title doesn't necessarily promise the name of the baby. or the sex. _

* * *

_"BOOM!"_

_Alexandria, Virginia / Georgetown, Washington D.C.  
February-ish, 2023_

* * *

She stood in the doorway of the extra bedroom down the hall from the master bedroom, looking at the mess. Half of the area seemed put together – the half with the book case full of legal textbooks and NCIS agency briefs, the elegant roll-top desk Gibbs had made for his wife as a graduation present, and the moderately expensive electronics. The other half – the playroom half – was more chaotic; there were blocks, colouring books, dog toys, and mini beanbag chairs.

In fact, the unspoken _split_ of the room was amusing; it had evolved out of Jenny needing a space to herself to work and study – similar to Gibbs' hallowed basement territory – where she could also keep an eye on the kids if she was multitasking.

She hated giving up the convenience of this area, but it was a small sacrifice – besides, she could probably gently bully her husband into giving her half of the basement as an office.

She placed a hand on her hip and chewed the inside of her cheek, listening to the sounds of Gibbs getting the girls ready for bed. She heard the water run for teeth-brushing, listened to the sound of a hair-dryer as Gibbs made sure their hair was dry to sleep on – Jenny didn't allow the girls to go to bed with wet hair in the winter.

She heard a scuffling noise, and then Anna skipped towards her, clutching her favorite book to her chest. She looked up at Jenny.

"Daddy said," she began, swallowing breathlessly. "Daddy said we're gonna do reading time in here," she said earnestly.

Jenny nodded, reaching out to ruffle her soft, blow-dried hair. She crossed her other arm over her stomach furtively, and smiled.

"But, Mommy," Anna said seriously. "Mommy, there is only two beanbags," she told her. "Where will everyone sit?"

"Hmm," Jenny murmured. "You and Katharyn are small enough to share one," she said, shaking her head gently when Anna looked like she would protest, "and I think Daddy will be a gentleman and let me sit on the other."

"Why? 'Cause you're a girl?" Anna asked. She blinked in surprise. "But Daddy's older."

Jenny laughed, looking up to meet the man in question's eyes as he approached, walking awkwardly, as he was letting Katharyn stand on the tops of his feet. He glared at the little redhead, and stopped behind her, peering down pointedly.

She tilted her head up and gave a small shriek of surprise, beaming.

"I was jus' teasin'!" she squealed.

"Get 'er, Kate," Gibbs instructed, letting go of Katharyn's hands.

Katharyn jumped off his feet and chased Anna into the room, following her around an obstacle of toys for a moment before playfully tackling her onto a beanbag chair. Anna giggled and held up her book, blocking her sister's clumsy tickling, and Jenny watched for a moment, Gibbs standing behind her.

"We have to buy another beanbag," he muttered slyly, touching her shoulder and kissing her lightly.

She nodded, laughing quietly, and let him go in and choose a seat before her. He did leave one beanbag open; he chose to drag the desk chair over and sit just at the edge of the colourful rug that lay over the 'playroom' side.

Jenny followed him in and sat down gracefully on the beanbag chair, leaning back against the wall easily – she figured she better enjoy being able to get up and down easily while it lasted.

She was far enough along to start telling people; obviously, she and Gibbs were telling their daughters first. Gibbs had thought it was odd they were waiting even to tell their own children, but Jenny felt that, if something were to happen, it would be hardest to explain a miscarriage to the girls, and she'd rather not have to go there – and she wasn't sure they could be trusted to keep a secret; they were little, after all.

It had been hard to pass up making the announcement at Christmas, but she'd been feeling wary of this pregnancy, and she wanted to be firmly past twelve weeks clear.

"Annie wants to read Narnia," Katharyn said, scrambling forward on her beanbag. "I pick Prairie House."

"Narnia," hissed Anna, trying to drag her back by her hair.

"Anna," Gibbs said sharply.

Anna immediately let go of Katharyn's hair and looked apologetic. She held up her book hopefully.

"We did a chapter of Narnia last night," Jenny placated fairly. "We'll do a chapter of _Little House on the Prairie_ tonight."

"But it's booooo-rrrring!" whined Anna.

"But Annie," Katharyn hissed. "Chapters are _biggggger_! Stay up later!"

Anna looked at her and then opened her eyes wide. She put her finger to her lips and said:

"_Shhhh_, don't tell them!"

Gibbs shot a look at Jenny and grinned; she rolled her eyes good-naturedly – Anna and Katharyn didn't know they routinely edited _Little House_ chapters when that was the chosen book of the night.

"Before books," Jenny said, folding her hands and sitting forward, "Daddy and I want to talk to you."

Anna started licking her bottom lip, chewing on it thoughtfully. Katharyn crossed her arms and wrinkled up her pajamas, looking between them intently. Anna reached up and touched her ears, suddenly looking alert.

"Can I have my earrings?" she asked, immediately thinking the conversation was about her.

Jenny shook her head.

"No, Anna, we already talked about this – you need to be old enough to take care of them yourself," she said gently.

Anna had about four different classmates with pierced ears, and she was whining for earrings of her own. Jenny could have been persuaded to relent, but Gibbs had a fanatical opposition to it; he thought it was too grown up, so she conceded the battle.

Anna frowned and mimicked an eye roll her mother often did. Gibbs cleared his throat and gave her a look to put a stop to it, and Katharyn raised her eyebrows.

"_What_ are we talkin' 'bout?" she asked sassily. She tilted her head and whispered: "New toys?"

Jenny laughed, shaking her head.

"You have plenty of toys," she said, and looked around wryly. She looked back at the two little girls, and tilted her head. "But, it does have something to do with this playroom."

"And the backyard," Gibbs grunted.

He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees and clasping his hands.

"You girls want to help me plant somethin' new?" he asked.

Anna gasped, and nodded. Katharyn beamed – they really did love helping Gibbs with the flowers, and the few vegetables he tried his hands at, during the warmer months. Jenny supposed it had something to do with their knowledge that they'd each had flowers planted for them when they'd been born.

Anna had sunflowers, Katharyn had violets, and Jenny had decided she wanted morning glories this time around.

"Can we plant an apple tree?" Anna asked. "No," she gasped suddenly, eyes as wide as saucers. "Can we plant an _orange_ tree and Daddy make me fresh orange juice _all the time_?"

"Think smaller, Anna-Bee," Gibbs snorted.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out two packets of morning glory seeds, holding them in his hands a moment before he scooted forward in the chair, and handed them out for the girls to take.

Anna took both and passed one to Katharyn, and they both squinted seriously at the pretty packets.

"I like 'em," Katharyn piped up. She scrunched up her nose happily. "Pretty blue!"

"They're called morning glory," Jenny said. "You can help Daddy plant them in the spring," she added.

"I want you to hang on to 'em until then," Gibbs said seriously.

Anna nodded quickly, her face solemn. Katharyn followed suit, first looking at Anna, and then nodding her head in the same way, at the same speed. Jenny smiled at them, and Gibbs gave them a wink.

"Anna," Jenny began, "You know we planted the sunflowers for you – and Katharyn, the violets were for you," she said, "so why do you think we want to plant more flowers?"

Katharyn shrugged, her eyes back on the pretty pictures on her packet of seeds. Anna looked at Katharyn, and then tilted her head, gaze tilting from her mother to her father.

Gibbs smirked.

"Is this a game?" Anna asked suspiciously.

"It can be," Gibbs said wryly. "Mommy and I also have to buy another beanbag chair," he hinted, arching an eyebrow. "And you'll have to let us turn this room into something else."

Anna poked Katharyn, trying to make her pay attention. Then she looked at them patiently, and she turned to stare at her mother, silently considering them.

"I'm having a baby, Anna," Jenny said calmly. She tilted her head and tried to catch Katharyn's eye. "Katharyn? Mommy's having a baby," she announced.

Katharyn looked up, as if she was startled to have been spoken to, and then she furrowed her brows thoughtfully.

"No, thank you, please," she said blithely. Gibbs raised his eyebrows, started to look at Jenny, and then was surprised when Katharyn seemed to change her mind, and let out a delighted gasp. "We get another puppy!" she squealed.

Jenny looked baffled.

"I – what?" she asked sharply.

Katharyn bounced up and down next to Anna.

"'Nother baby, 'nother puppy!"

Anna looked expectantly at Gibbs and Jenny, smirking.

"No, no, no," Jenny corrected rapidly, shaking her head. "No, that isn't how it works – it's an accident we have two dogs, girls," she said firmly. "There is no planned puppy-to-child ratio in this house."

Gibbs snorted at her technical explanation.

"Dumb it down a little, Jen," he said under his breath, and then looked at his daughters. "It'll be like having a new puppy," he joked, "but double the work."

Katharyn kicked her feet a little and looked around, as if saying goodbye to the room. Anna sat forward, looking a little confused, but then she tilted her head and tapped her chin.

"When is the baby coming?" she asked seriously.

"Oh," Jenny said, pleasantly surprised. "Oh, well, it will be sometime at the very beginning of July," she said. "Maybe June."

Hetty had been able to pinpoint pretty definitively when the due date was – specifically it was June twenty-ninth, but she had a feeling she'd go late – July was her and Jethro's tenth wedding anniversary, to boot.

Anna held her hand out.

"How come it takes so long?"

"Well, the baby has to grow," Jenny said, faltering. She looked at Gibbs – she wasn't exactly sure what Anna was asking.

Anna stood up.

"On a tree?"

"Oh," Jenny said again. She leaned forward, shaking her head. "No, come here," she said matter-of-factly. Anna approached her, and Jenny took her hand and pressed it against her lower abdomen. "The baby is here, Anna," she said.

Anna had been fairly little when Katharyn was born; it was understandable she didn't have any memory of feeling her sister kick. Jenny smiled at the little redhead, and glanced at Katharyn – Katharyn seemed royally unconcerned with everything.

Anna stared at her hand, and then she looked at Jenny fearfully, with her wide blue eyes.

"Mommy," she whispered loudly. "_Why did you eat the baby_?"

Gibbs snorted with laughter, and Jenny grinned, her cheeks flushing with amusement – six-years-old was a precarious, curious age, and she was forced to think quickly about how she could explain the situation without necessarily having to give the sex talk to a first grader.

* * *

"Please be careful!"

Jenny called the warning for the third time as her daughters leapt out of the car and ran up the icy walkway of the Georgetown brownstone. She grit her teeth in annoyance and watched them ignore her.

"Take it easy, Jen," Gibbs said mildly, shrugging. He locked the car and came around to rest his hand on her lower back. "If they fall, they'll listen next – "

His words proved almost prophetic; before he could finish, Katharyn pitched forward and hit the ground, and Anna slid to a stop, letting out a strangled grasp.

Jenny shook Gibbs off immediately and darted forward, ignoring his sharp order for _her_ to be careful. She knelt beside Katharyn, immediately aware that there was blood in the snow next to her.

She sat the four-year-old up quickly, and Katharyn let out a wail – but Jenny let out a sigh of relief; it wasn't anything life threatening. She had hit her nose, and it was bleeding.

"Uh-oh," Anna said, her lips puckering. "Is she gonna die?" she asked dramatically.

Katharyn screeched in horror.

"Anna Abigayle," Jenny snapped, glaring at her. "She is not going to die – carefully step up on the porch and knock on Grandpa's door, please," she ordered.

Anna did so, as Gibbs reached the scene and crouched down. His brow creased with worry, and he reached for Katharyn. Jenny moved her arm so he could see the injury better, and he shushed the little girl quietly.

"Kate," he said gruffly. "Kate, it's okay. Close your mouth, Kitty," he coaxed. He picked her up and settled her easily on his hip, extending a hand to help Jenny up. "Close your mouth and it won't get in your mouth and taste bad," he instructed.

Jenny looked grimly at the blood on her hands, and carelessly wiped it on her coat. She stepped up behind Anna just as her father opened the door; the big grin on his face faded instantly.

"What the hell happened?" he demanded, worried eyes on Katharyn.

"She's fine, she's fine," muttered Jenny. "Dad, the cursing – they're not babies anymore," she admonished lightly.

He stepped back, ushering everyone in. Gibbs took Katharyn straight into the kitchen, receiving a concerned greeting from Noemi, who was in there cooking.

"No, she's alright, she just needs to be mopped up," Gibbs said, as the General was taking Jenny's coat, and Anna was swinging her arms around by her mother's leg.

"She fell on the ice," Jenny said, somewhat unsympathetically. "I told them not to run."

Anna grabbed her grandfather's leg and tugged on his jeans.

"She told us," Anna confirmed. "Katty ran anyway. Me too," she said.

Jenny looked down at her and arched an eyebrow.

"You sound a little proud of that disobedience, young lady," she said edgily.

Anna puckered her lips.

"I'm sorry Katty got hurt," she said sincerely. "She's bad at running."

Jasper Shepard laughed, and then hastily tried to hide it when he received a glare from his daughter. Jenny rolled her eyes and crouched down to help Anna get her coat off, giving her oldest a sharp, reprimanding look and a stern shake of the head.

"You listen to me when I give an order, Anna," she said in a cool voice. "That is very important. I only ruin your fun to keep you safe."

Anna nodded. She let Jenny slip the coat off of her shoulders, and then she turned around and put her hands on her hips, smiling up at her grandfather. Jasper smiled back broadly, mimicking her stance.

"Look at you, Banana," he drawled. "You've grown a foot since I last saw you!"

"Grandpa," she giggled. "You saw me _laaaaaast_ Sunday!"

He pretended to slap himself in the forehead forgetfully.

"Did I?" he sighed. "Gosh, I'm getting old – you have to keep me on top of these things, Princess – you're much smarter than an old man."

Anna beamed, and Jenny gave her father a small smile, sliding past gracefully to go check on her husband in the kitchen, and greet her stepmother. She had just disappeared into the kitchen when she heard Anna's faint, smug little voice –

"Grandpa, Mommy has a baby inside her."

Jenny stopped, her mouth falling open – after all that time in the car she and Gibbs had spent reiterating to the girls that they were not to mention it until Mommy and Daddy brought it up, Anna opened her mouth the moment they walked in the door.

She cringed, and decided she wouldn't go back into the foyer; she'd pretend like Anna hadn't said anything.

Noemi greeted her warmly – she was helping Gibbs hold a warm cloth to Katharyn's nose – and Katharyn shoved Gibbs' arm away from her and reached drearily for Jenny.

"I'm sorry, Mommy!" she cried hoarsely. "I'm sorry!"

Startled, Jenny looked at Gibbs as she reached out to take Katharyn and comfort her.

Gibbs gave her a nod and a shrug.

"Told 'er she owed you one for not listenin'," he said.

Jenny smiled gently and held Katharyn against her, pressing a kiss to her wet nose.

"I think you learned your lesson, baby," she murmured.

"Jen, don't hold her," Gibbs said tensely. "She's four, she's heavy – "

"I'm fine," she said a little testily, lowering her voice.

It was no use; her father barged into the kitchen with Anna hanging onto his hand, looking a little sheepish. The General marched forward and glared between them. Then he pointed at Anna.

"Is she telling the truth?" he asked.

Gibbs looked down at Anna, brow furrowed.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"'M not a liar!" Anna piped up proudly.

Gibbs glared at her.

"Anna," he said. "We told you – "

"You're pregnant?" the General asked, looking at Jenny with searching eyes.

"Jenny!" gasped Noemi, clasping her hands. "You have new baby?" she asked earnestly.

Gibbs gave Anna another mild glare, and Jenny let out a sigh, gesturing to Katharyn.

"I'm trying to Mommy a bloody nose, here," she said, exasperated.

The General stared at her, and then before she knew it, he had taken Katharyn away and was holding her himself, checking out her cleaned-up nose without much consternation.

"If you're pregnant, you've got no business carryin' a four-year-old around," he grunted seriously.

Jenny raised her eyes to the ceiling, biting her lip, but when she looked back down she was smiling, and she glanced between Noemi and the General, and raised her shoulders slightly.

She nodded.

Noemi leaned forward and hugged her gently, pressing a warm kiss to her cheek. The General looked surprised, and then grinned, leaning forward to kiss her in the same place. He turned, easily holding Katharyn with one hand, and reached out to shake Gibbs' hand.

"'Knew you'd convince her," he joked.

Gibbs snorted and shook his head, holding up his hands as if he'd had nothing to do with it.

"It was unexpected," Jenny admitted, pushing her hair back. She leaned against the counter. She licked her lips. "We're excited," she added sincerely.

"'Course you are," the General said, squeezing her shoulder. He gave her a fatherly look. "You're a little old for accidents, Jennifer," he groused. "How's that happen?"

"Oh, Dad," she sighed. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to."

"What'd you do, slack off like a teenager?" he snorted.

Jenny gave him a piercing look, and then cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, you see, Daddy," she said sweetly. "I had the IUD taken out because we were having problems with the string – Jethro kept hitting it – "

"What?" the General looked confused. "Hitting it with what - ?" he stopped talking abruptly, turned red, and then glared at her. "Jennifer," he blustered. "Stop it."

She pursed her lips at him, and gave him a look.

"You asked."

Her father pointedly avoided looking at Gibbs at that point – in fact, he looked anywhere else, and found himself catching his little granddaughter's eye; Anna stood at their feet, head cocked, looking pleased with herself.

"You stole their thunder, you know," he told her gruffly, arching a fond eyebrow.

Anna giggled, and put her hands out, spreading them dramatically wide.

"BOOM!"

Jenny smirked at her, and looked over at Gibbs; he shrugged good-naturedly – they had one more family member to tell before they informed the world, and it was a good thing, too; it seemed like Anna wanted a monopoly on the tidings.

* * *

Jenny was always anxious when Gibbs' father visited because she didn't like assigning the older man to sleep on a pullout couch, especially since she didn't think it could be at all comfortable. The first time he visited, she had tried to have him take the master bedroom, and Jackson Gibbs had loudly and emphatically refused; since then, he always chose the living room couch – and he was absolutely fine with that.

"It's a military thing," he said jovially, as Jenny sat on the couch with him, the sheets folded neatly on the table for later. He winked. "You learn to sleep wherever, whenever – and sleep well, too."

He nodded as if for emphasis, and then gestured to his son with his beer.

"Ain't that right, Leroy?" he asked.

Gibbs nodded, raising his own longneck.

"Damn right," he agreed smoothly.

He sat on the brick hearth in front of the fireplace, a short-sleeved t-shirt clinging to his chest. He'd just spent what felt like half an hour getting a fire started for Jen – the kindling was a little wet – and he didn't feel like getting up yet; an old deployment injury in his left leg bothered him when it was this cold.

"I hope you had a good Christmas," Jenny remarked.

"Yeah, hell of a time, meetin' up with an old friend," Jackson drawled. He pointed at Gibbs. "His namesake, you know," he added. "Leroy Jethro Moore, my old business partner."

Jenny smiled at her husband, and then turned back to her father-in-law, nursing the glass of pink lemonade in her hand – she was craving it day and night, lately.

"I did miss seein' those girls at Christmas," he admitted. "Mighty kind of you to make time for me now."

Jenny waved her hand easily.

"I really do mean it when I say anytime," she said honestly. "It's no trouble."

"No trouble, a slow old man hoggin' your living room?"

Jenny laughed.

"Hey, I sleep in the bedroom, I spend most of the day at work – you keep my kids occupied, you come any time you want," she teased.

Jackson grinned, and took another sip of his beer.

"I hope you're not abstaining for my sake," he said, nodding at her non-alcoholic drink. "You know I don't mind a lady who drinks."

Jenny smiled again, and Gibbs sat forward, raising his beer.

"Nah, she'll have a drink in another coupla months," he said wryly.

Jackson grunted, shrugging his shoulders, and Jenny looked around, amused. She was glad his visit coincided with the time they started telling people; she was starting to show this early, since it was her third, and she was fairly sure Jackie Vance and Ziva Werth were suspicious – but they were politely waiting to be informed.

Jenny cleared her throat and sat forward, opening her mouth - -but she was interrupted; Jackson leaned forward and pointed at the staircase.

"I spy a little fly on the wall," he said charmingly, his eyes wrinkling fondly.

Jenny and Gibbs looked over, and there was Katharyn, sitting on the stairs and peering through the railing at them. She bit her lip when she found herself busted, and she tried to scoot back up the stairs.

"Kate," Gibbs said, causing her to freeze. "What's wrong?"

She blinked at him, her blonde hair falling around her face innocently. She scrunched up her nose, looked at them warily, and then got up, coming down the stairs with precision. She touched her feet to the floor and darted over, leaping with surprising grace over one of the dogs.

Pascal lifted his head, and thumped his tail happily, perking his ears.

Jenny gave him a soft command to keep lying down; she didn't want him to think the girls were back up for a round two of playtime.

"Whatsa matter?" Gibbs asked, resting his hand on Katharyn's back as she sidled up to him.

"I'm cold," Katharyn said quietly. "I smelled the fire," she added, taking in a deep breath as if to prove it. "Can I sit with you?"

"It's bedtime, Katharyn," Gibbs said, using her full name. He shook his head. "You can put some warmer pajamas on." He paused, and then gave her a sly smile. "I thought the cold never bothered you anyway?"

Jenny tried not to burst out laughing; she knew how much self-control it took for her husband to reference that film, but she also knew he'd do anything to relate effortlessly with the girls.

It didn't work, thought.

Katharyn stomped her foot.

"Anna likes the cold," she whined, pointing up at the ceiling, as if to reference her sister. "And Elsa. Anna is Elsa and Kate is Ana," she insisted, tripping over her words.

Jackson turned to Jenny, eyebrows raised.

"_What_?"

"Don't ask," she whispered good-naturedly. She looked over at Gibbs and Katharyn. "Katharyn, you can warm up for five minutes, okay?" she relented.

Gibbs arched his brow in surprise, and she shrugged, lowering her voice.

"I hate the cold, too," she said.

He nodded, and pulled Katharyn onto his lap. She snuggled up, beaming, and put her hands over his shoulder, warming them by the flame. She laid her head on him and shifted so she could warm her hands and look at her grandfather.

"Pops," she piped up. "You build a fort tomorrow?" she asked. "Anna says you build a fort!"

He nodded seriously.

"I got all the materials," he said. "Blankets, cushions, work dogs," he gestured boldly to Pascal and Max. "The works."

Katharyn giggled.

"Max doesn't like peoples on his back," she said. "Annie tried. He bit her."

"He didn't bite; he just snapped and bristled," Jenny told Jackson hastily. "And what did we learn from that?" Jenny asked Katharyn.

"Dogs are people too," Katharyn recited.

Jackson laughed – he was sure that wasn't the lesson, but he got the gist; Jenny and Gibbs were very good about teaching the girls that the dogs were trained well, but they still had to be treated humanely and with kindness or else they would bite.

The little blonde yawned, and Gibbs suddenly had an idea – Anna had spilled the beans to Jenny's father; he wondered if he could persuade Katharyn to do the same for his.

He brushed her hair out of her face gently, and she yawned, beaming at him. He gave her a small smile.

"Kate, you want to tell Pops a secret?" he asked.

She raised her brows at him, and shrugged.

"Don't got any secrets," she said.

"What about Mommy's secret?" Gibbs asked conversationally. "The one Anna told Grandpa?"

Katharyn looked confused, and then she lifted her head, looking around at the couch. She touched Gibbs with her fire-warmed hands and shifted on his lap, hugging his neck with one arm and eyeing Jenny.

Jenny shrugged, nodding her head. She held out her hand to Jackson.

"You can tell him, Katharyn," she allowed gently – Katharyn had listened better than Anna when it came to keeping it a secret; she never brought it up, while in the past week her sister had to be cut off about ten different times.

Things had come a long way since Anna had been the pensive, quiet one – the only one.

"But," Katharyn said hesitantly. "I don't know how!" She puckered her lips, and looked at her father. "I don't get it."

He grinned at her, and tilted his head.

"Tell Pops what you think is happening," he encouraged.

Katharyn bit her lip and looked around, pursing her lips. She took a moment, and then pointed at Jenny.

"Mommy is getting another baby," she said bravely. "But Annie says she ate it."

Jackson laughed, and then he stopped, and he looked around at his son and his daughter-in-law, eyes wide. Katharyn looked to Gibbs for approval, and he nodded and kissed her forehead, standing up.

"Say night-night," he ordered gently.

She beamed; waving, and he went to take her upstairs, throwing Jenny a wink as he did so.

"Daddy," Katharyn said, as they disappeared, "Did Mommy eat me?"

Jenny grinned, sipping her pink lemonade. Jackson leaned forward, flashing a huge grin at her.

"You're havin' another?" he asked, surprised. "I'd swear Leroy told me two was all – well, I'll be damned, Jenny!" he said, reaching out to squeeze her hand affectionately. "Congratulations! How do you feel?" he asked considerately.

She took a deep breath.

"I feel good," she said warmly. "It's been an easy one so far. No horrible morning sickness," she said, relieved. "I'm tired," she admitted, shrugging. She knew she was going to be tired for the rest of her life.

She bit her lip, and smiled.

"You two plan on this?" Jackson asked.

She tilted her head back and forth.

"No, not in so many words," she said. "But … it feels right," she decided, as Gibbs came back down the stairs two at a time.

"She's already asleep," he snorted, shaking his head fondly.

His father leaned forward and extended his hand, shaking it firmly. He pulled Gibbs down to him, wrapping his arm around his son in a proud hug, growling sincere congratulations.

Gibbs smirked, hugging him back briefly and then straightening up.

"You think you can handle another one, Dad?" he asked wryly.

Jackson Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"I could ask you the same thing," he quipped.

Gibbs grinned, and Jenny leaned back, running her hand through her hair – despite her initial stress, she felt at ease about that, perhaps because there'd once been a time when she'd had no idea how she would handle one or two – and they'd adapted spectacularly.

* * *

_February-ish, 2023_

* * *

_-alexandra_


	3. Foxtrot

_a/n: yay, a little glimpse into everyone ELSE's lives, too!_

* * *

_"Foxtrot"_

_Alexandria, Virginia  
April 4th, 2023_

* * *

It was a hectic day – and the irony of that was, she wasn't even in the White House. She'd taken one of her paid sick days, after much persuading from her husband, to enjoy her birthday.

Still, she'd been up early and she wasn't quite able to do nothing; she had slept in later than usual – something she was thankful for – but she'd gotten up to take Anna to elementary school and Katharyn to Montessori, and then she'd had an OBGYN appointment. She was on her way to lunch with her small circle of friends at the moment, and she was handling a call from Katharyn's school as she walked through the parking lot.

"Does she have a fever?" she asked, a little confused as to what the nurse was calling her about.

"No, no," came the answer. "My apologies – her head is hurting because she banged it…" Jenny wasn't sure she got the entirety of the jumbled explanation, and she frowned.

"How hard did she hit it?"

"She's okay, Mrs. Gibbs, she just has a big knot on her forehead and a scrape on her knee."

Jenny nodded, rolling her eyes – Katharyn had a knack for flippantly injuring herself; it didn't seem to phase her too much, unless it hurt really badly.

"Yes, you can give her Tylenol," Jenny agreed. She paused at the next line, and shook her head, entering the restaurant. "No, she doesn't like the liquid. She can take the chewable tablets."

Jenny paused, frustrated. She stepped back from the hostess stand, not wanting to bother the girl until she was off the phone, and waited.

"Ma'am, she'll fight you on the liquid. It's perfectly fine for her to take the tablets," she said tersely.

The woman on the other line protested again, and Jenny rolled her eyes; fine, if they wanted to incite a damn crusade to give her daughter a pain reliever, that was their problem.

"Okay; try the liquid," she conceded, "but I do not give you permission to hold Katharyn down or force her mouth open or anything like that," she bargained.

If anyone was going to be a hardass with Katharyn and her ridiculous behavior about medicine, it was going to be her mother; Jenny wasn't going to authorize anyone else to do it. She didn't think Katharyn would trust her very much if she started doing that.

Jenny hung up the phone, and approached the hostess.

"Hello – I'm meeting a party four, I think the name is under – "

"Vance?" the hostess piped up.

Jenny nodded, and the girl took a menu and beckoned to her brightly, taking her over to a table by the window in the corner. The moment her menu was laid down, Saydie Pride leapt up and wrapped Jenny in a hug.

"Happy Birthday!" she greeted warmly, squeezing her gently.

She jumped back and pulled out Jenny's chair; Jenny laughed and thanked her.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said quickly. "You know – even Hetty gets behind on appointments."

"No, don't worry," Nina Nabokov, nee Alexander, said breezily. She arched her brows. "Everything good?"

Jenny nodded, waving her hand.

"No problems, we're both healthy," she said blithely. "Normal, boring – thank God," she said.

The other woman nodded, and Jackie leaned forward, placing her palm down on the table pointedly.

"Well, did you find out?" she asked.

"Jackie," Ziva spoke up, arching her brow. "She hasn't even ordered a drink."

"The waitress isn't here yet!" Jackie protested, turning from Ziva back to Jenny. "You said you might want to know this time."

Jenny leaned back in her chair, shaking her head. She shared a look with Saydie – neither of them had ever been concerned about knowing the sex beforehand, whereas Ziva and Jackie and Nina had all chosen to find out.

"I decided no," she said.

Jackie groaned, and Ziva smirked.

"How does Jethro feel about that?"

"He's used to it," Jenny said primly. She leaned forward and crossed her arms on the table. "I actually – did ask Hetty to tell me," she confided, and bit her lip. "But she couldn't get a good angle today, so I took it as a sign."

"Did you offer a guess?" Nina asked. "Because my doctor guessed Ilija was a boy, and then he confirmed it two weeks later when he had a better view."

Jenny shrugged a little. She accidentally smiled, and then bit it back.

"You know!" Saydie accused, glaring at her. "Show some solidarity, Jenny," she said, elbowing the redhead.

"I don't know," Jenny protested honestly. She smiled, and shrugged.

"But you think something," Jackie said, pointing at her sharply.

"I," Jenny began, and then turned as the waitress came up. "Iced tea, please, unsweetened," she requested politely, and then turned back and leaned in. "Hetty didn't make a guess," she said, pausing, "but, you know, I get the impression it's not that hard to identify a boy if," she stuck her finger out suggestively, "you know what I mean."

"Oh," Ziva remarked, her face blank, "yes, I'm sure if it were male it would … stick out."

Nina rolled her eyes; Saydie laughed.

"Maybe he's just really small," Jackie whispered slyly. She wiggled her little finger, too. "Is that genetic?"

Jenny picked up a fork and pointed it at the other woman menacingly.

"Jackie, if you say anything like that around Jethro – I swear to God," she threatened.

Jackie leaned back, laughing good-naturedly.

"I'm not going to take shots at Leroy's ego," she snorted, shaking her head. "I'm sure if it's a boy his penis will be normal sized – "

"So, what?" Nina asked.

"Five-point-six inches, medically; eight, if you ask men," Ziva said shortly.

The group of women laughed again, and Jenny shook her head, raising her eyes to the ceiling.

"How did we get here?" she asked.

Saydie put her hands on Jenny's again and giggled, tapping her menu.

"We really should look at these," she suggested.

"Are you having a baby shower?" Nina asked, as Jenny perused hers.

The redhead looked at her over the menu, arching an eyebrow.

"Nina, come on," she said, rolling her eyes. "I already have two children. A baby shower is a first-baby privilege."

"Not these days," Ziva snorted. "One of the girls at my gym tried to throw me a second one with Noah – and Adam was only 6 months old; I didn't need a damn thing as far as baby supplies went."

"I had a second one for Jared," Jackie said, shrugging. "Since Kayla was four – most people think it's acceptable, you know, if you're starting over."

"I'm not starting over," Jenny said, shrugging. She tilted her head. "We're financially able to handle this," she said quietly. She lifted her shoulders again. "I don't like that practice, of having more than one baby shower- -besides," she said, biting her tongue slyly, "What would Gibbs do if someone bought us a bunch of stuff and he couldn't build it?"

Jackie laughed at that.

Jenny closed her menu, already sure of what she wanted.

"We hadn't really cleaned out _everything_," she said mildly.

"Mm-hmm," Ziva murmured, looking smug.

Jenny glared at her.

"What's that look for?" she demanded

Ziva shrugged, and then Nina snorted, and rested her chin on her wrist.

"She's insinuating you knew you wanted a third."

"I didn't plan on – "

"But when you're done, you're done," Ziva said sagely. "When Ellie was out of her crib, I got rid of it; no regrets, no second thoughts. You kept your crib."

"My husband made it with his _bare_ hands!" Jenny squeaked, protesting.

Saydie wrinkled her nose cutely.

"She's got a point, Ziva," she said, siding with Jenny. "You can't get rid of a hand-made thing like that, it's an heirloom!"

"Gibbs didn't make the baby car seats," Ziva pointed out astutely, "or the baby swing in the backyard, or the bouncy seat," she paused, and Jenny stared at her – even though she had four children, it was sometimes odd to hear juvenile, motherly words coming out of the Mossad raised, Krav Maga instructor's mouth. "Those have been migrating from the basement to the playroom based on Gibbs' building project."

Jenny bit her tongue and gave Ziva a look, shaking her head. She rolled her eyes and sat back.

"I'm not going to sit here and insist I don't want another baby," she said lightly. "That's asking for trouble."

Saydie nodded, and leaned forward on the table.

"Don't tempt fate," she agreed, grinning brightly. "If you were on the fence, Fate decided for you," Saydie said simply. "And it's fitting!"

"Fitting?" Jackie asked.

Saydie nodded happily.

"She was the first to have a baby; now she'll be the last."

"Hey, what if I have another?" Nina asked flippantly – she smirked at her own joke; she only wanted one; she'd already had her tubes tied.

"You can't be sure that one's done," Jackie said, pointing at Saydie. "And – what the hell do you mean, first? I was first!"

"Well, she was first of Gibbs' unit," Saydie said pointedly. "You know, Gibbs won the bet – Leon wasn't in his unit."

Jackie nodded, still feeling like she deserved credit for being first. Nina tossed her hair back and caught Jenny's eye.

"Maybe Holly will be last."

Jenny burst out laughing. Holly Daniels was still her wild, carefree self; she'd stayed at a steady job in D.C. for a while, and now she was off doing some sort of freelance photography work in Southeast Asia.

"Wait," Saydie said, holding her hand out. "I mean, there's still E.J. and Callen," she remarked.

"They don't want kids," Jenny said. She held up her hands: "And Sam and Michelle had their last one three months ago – hey, I win," she said, glaring around playfully.

Jackie nodded, and made a small inclination of her head. She raised her glass, and pursed her lips.

"To you, Jenny," she said affectionately. "For your birthday – "

"And your Ellie," Ziva said, raising her own glass.

"My Ellie?" Jenny asked, amused.

Ziva gave her a serious look.

"You think I _meant_ to have four children?" she asked, deadpan.

The women laughed again, and Nina held up her hand, catching Jenny's eye wryly.

"I have to make a Holly remark, just for old time's sake," she said dramatically, and then cleared her throat theatrically. She paused, and then said: "Don't worry, Jenny, there's still time for old Jazz to knock up your stepmother!"

Jenny opened her mouth in outrage and kicked Nina hard under the table – never mind that it was, truly, a Holly-esque comment – as far as unexpected pregnancies went, she'd rather have three more of her own than face that sort of nonsense.

* * *

She had been told, rather mysteriously, to stay out of the house as long as possible – Gibbs said he had set off a pest bomb in what would be the new nursery just as a cautionary measure, and he'd deal with it after work; so she went and got a pedicure – a birthday gift from Noemi – to soothe her sore feet, and she worked out a few things with her office, despite having planned on not working at all.

She picked up Katharyn from Montessori at two – and Katharyn was belligerently angry about being given liquid medication, though apparently she had decided not to fight her _teachers _the same way she fought her _parents_, and Jenny took that with a grain of salt – and then they went to the park for a while until it was time to get Anna around three.

"Happy Birthday, Mommy," Anna said immediately, as she got into the car in the after school pick-up circle.

"Thank you," Jenny said pleasantly, pausing to make sure she buckled herself into her booster seat properly. "How was school?"

"I read a whole book out loud," Anna announced. "And I got a new gold star on my chart, because I learned three new sign language signs!"

"Wow!" Jenny exclaimed, genuinely pleased. "You'll have to teach them to Katharyn so you can talk to her secretly," she said playfully.

She liked to encourage the girls to have a nice sisterly bond that precluded tattling; she and Gibbs had both been only children, but Ziva had made the wise observation once that it was important to keep your siblings' secrets – so long as they weren't dangerous or threatening.

"Katty, you want to learn new signs?" Anna asked immediately.

Katharyn beamed, and then she made the sign for _yes_. Anna giggled.

"Annie," Katharyn said. She pointed to her head. "I tumbled down the slide," she snickered, scrunching up her face. "Miss Celia cried, not me!"

Anna laughed loudly – for a year, she'd had the same Montessori instructor as Katharyn. The pre-school like program Jenny had decided to place them in began accepting children at a year, but Jenny hadn't taken advantage of it until Anna was four – though Katharyn had started at three.

"You got a hard head," Anna said smugly.

Jenny grinned at them in the rearview mirror; she must have heard her father say that one too many times.

"Mommy," Anna piped up. "Can I teach the baby sign language?"

"Yes," Jenny said. "You'll have to wait until it gets older, though," she told her. "You remember when Katharyn was born?"

"No," Anna said, blinking.

Jenny laughed.

"Okay," she said, shrugging. "Remember, Daddy and I told you, babies are very little and very needy, and they don't do much. You just have to be gentle and understanding at first."

"Like puppies."

"Kind of," Jenny allowed. "But babies aren't as sturdy as puppies; you won't be able to drag your brother or sister around on a leash or throw tennis balls at her. Him," she fumbled, rolling her eyes at herself – pronouns were such a hassle.

"When does it pick boy or girl?" Anna asked.

Jenny snorted – it was a funny way to put it, but in this day and age, Anna was probably being most politically correct.

"Your father and I decided not to find out."

"How come?" Katharyn piped up.

"Because we like both boys and girls," Jenny said calmly. "And we don't mind, as long as the baby is healthy."

"I want a boy baby," Katharyn said smugly.

Anna let out an outraged _shriek_.

"EW. WHY? KATTY, SHUT UP."

"Anna Abigayle Gibbs," Jenny snapped, her smile fading. "Do not scream in the car and do not ever tell your sister to shut up," she ordered sternly.

The little redhead closed her mouth sulkily and shot a glare at Katharyn – it was almost funny, how quickly their attitudes towards each other could change - -and Katharyn gave her a look that was almost gloating.

"Why do you like boys?" Anna hissed at her sister.

Katharyn pursed her lips and glared.

"Daddy is a boy," she retorted pointedly. "I like Daddy."

The smile crept back onto Jenny's face – it was one of the cutest things Katharyn had said in her entire life.

* * *

It was a nice, warm spring day out, so Jenny had stopped for a surprise frozen yogurt treat for the girls – and because she was craving that sharp, plain tart flavor – and they arrived back at the house closer to four – at which point Jenny was surprised to see her husband's vintage Camaro in the drive.

"Hmm," she murmured, supervising the girls getting out of the car. "Why is Daddy home so early?" she asked.

"Maybe he's sick!" Anna gasped.

"Daddy never gets sick," Katharyn said solemnly. She started forward with a running leap, and Jenny grabbed her arm gently.

"I want you to think very hard about running up this driveway," she said coolly. "Think about your track record."

Katharyn grinned, and then straightened up, promising not to run. Jenny locked the doors of her SUV and followed them towards the front door. They opened it and dashed inside, setting off the chaotic, excited barks of the dogs.

Jenny managed to scramble in before Max or Pascal could get into the front yard, and she shut the door loudly.

"Jethro?" she called, as she lifted up her knee to stop Pascal from jumping on her. "Max, NO," she ordered sharply – she usually didn't mind a little affectionate jumping, but she had to think about the baby right now.

Max sat down on his haunches and whined good-naturedly, and for his behavior, she bent to give him a kiss on the snout.

Katharyn, meanwhile, was on the floor with Pascal, giggling wildly as he wagged his tail and sniffed her like she was his own puppy. If she hadn't raised the dogs from puppyhood, it would be a scary sight to see the large German Shepherd with Katharyn between his paws, but Pascal was never anything but gentle with his little mistress.

"Daddy!" cried Anna, leaping up a few stairs as Gibbs came down them.

He smiled and reached down to ruffle her hair, giving her a swift hug in greeting. Jenny rested her arm on the banister, arching one eyebrow at him.

"Fancy seeing you here," she drawled. "Slow day at work?"

"Didn't go in," he grunted, stepping off the stairs and leaning forward to kiss her. "How is everyone?" he asked, referencing her lunch.

"Mmm," Jenny murmured, putting her lips next to his. "They think you have a small penis," she whispered solemnly.

Gibbs glared at her.

"What the – " he started, and then glanced at the kids. "…foxtrot."

"Foxtrot?" Jenny laughed.

He just glared at her again – he'd ask about that one later, when his daughters weren't in earshot. Anna hopped down the stairs behind him, reiterating that they weren't at all alone, and he grit his teeth.

"Appointment go okay?" he asked.

She just nodded, smiling a little; everything was fine.

"Why didn't you go to work?" she asked.

"I was doin' somethin' else," he answered vaguely. He shrugged. "It was just my new hire's paperwork today, firearms training – Harm can do that."

"New hire?" Jenny quoted. She smirked wryly. "You going to call G Callen Probie, Gibbs?" she teased.

"You're damn right I am," he snorted.

She gave him a look. He corrected himself hastily:

"You're delta right I am."

"They're going to start thinking the phonetic alphabet is full of swear words."

Gibbs arched an eyebrow at her and smirked. Anna and Katharyn were busy playing with the dogs – they weren't listening. Jenny crossed her arms.

"E.J. is thrilled Callen finally left the Marines," she murmured. "I'm glad you took a chance on him."

"Me?" Gibbs snorted, and shrugged. "It's easy to phase from the Marines to the Feds, I just put in a good word."

Jenny patted his shoulder.

"And now you're his boss," she laughed. "We'll have to have Probie over for dinner soon," she said.

Gibbs nodded.

"Speakin' of dinner," he said. "I got it all planned – and I got some stuff waitin' for you upstairs."

"Sounds sexy," Jenny whispered, glancing at the girls. "But what about them?"

"Nah, not that kind of stuff, that's later," Gibbs said smugly. He leaned against the banister. "Go take a bath, read that new thing the General got your for your birthday," he said, referring to the latest version of an-reader she'd received. "I got the kids for a while."

He smirked and looked down at the girls.

"You hear that, girls? Mommy is going to have some alone time," he drawled. "Because how old is Mommy today?"

Anna looked at him seriously, and recited the answer he'd been feeding her all week:

"The same age as Jesus Christ."

Gibbs grinned devilishly, and Jenny rolled her eyes - she was thirty three, and Gibbs was fond of using that to insinuated she was the divine ruler in the house.

Jenny smiled at him wryly, and nodded her head – she would take him up on that offer; she wasn't the type to fight him when he planned considerate little things for her, and the rare moments when she could relax were few and far between.

Gibbs leaned forward and gave her a kiss, running his hand over her shoulder affectionately, and she tilted her head and winked, a silent thank you – still, though; she wondered what he'd been up to all day.

* * *

It was after the luxurious, uninterrupted hour-long bath, after dinner, after Gibbs retreated to the basement with the girls and gave Jenny some alone time again, and after baths and storybooks and bedtime that they were finally alone together for the evening.

"It's remarkable," Jenny said, bemused, standing in the kitchen while Gibbs poured her a glass of mildest red wine, "how things shift."

He gave her a look, arching a brow.

She shrugged.

"You know, you go from wanting to celebrate your birthday with friends, to being grateful for some alone time," she snorted. She chewed her lip. "I feel a little guilty about it."

"Why?" Gibbs demanded instantly, handing her the glass and placing the bottle back in the refrigerator.

She shrugged again.

"I don't know," she murmured, meeting his eyes. "Shouldn't I prefer to spend my birthday with my girls?"

Gibbs tilted his head back and forth.

"You did, Jen," he said simply. "You had frozen yogurt with 'em, you took 'em to and from school, they did presents with you before bed," he listed. "You still get your own time. I got my basement," he pointed out.

She nodded at him, conceding his point.

"'Sides," he grunted. "I had was workin' on somethin' with 'em, come on," he said, beckoning to her.

He slipped past her and jogged up the stairs, leaving her staring after him a moment before she followed – and she caught up quickly; at the six-and-a-half month point, stairs weren't quite a struggle just yet.

He paused outside the playroom and gave her a proud look, his hand on the doorknob.

"I stayed neutral," he said mysteriously.

She pursed her lips, looking at the door – she and Gibbs had decided this would be the new baby's room, even though they had moved Anna down the hall when Katharyn was born so the baby would be in the room closest to theirs. They didn't want to disrupt the girls when they were so used to their spaces, so they'd just agreed to make the trek at night.

Gibbs opened the door, and put his hand out.

"Don't come all the way in," he warned. "I left a window open, used low fume paint, but it's still dryin'."

She parted her lips curiously and poked her head in, looking around –

The room was totally transformed; the office was gone, the playroom side was gone, and the walls were re-painted. The pale, washed out, boring beige that had been there when they moved in had been replaced by a vibrant dark blue – an interesting choice, since they'd always gone with pastel colours in the nurseries – and the ceiling was bordered by a black and white checkered pattern.

"Left the duct tape up there," Gibbs said gruffly, gesturing at the checkers. "I figured I'd paint the white pink if it's a girl, red or green if it's a boy – you can pick," he said, shrugging.

She folded her arms across herself, taking it in – he'd brought the old, trustworthy crib Ann and Katharyn had slept in up from the basement and placed it in the corner, and he'd re-finished the old changing table, and brought the heirloom rocking chair out of Katharyn's room – where it had stayed even when she was too old for it – and situated it in here.

Jenny smiled, biting down hard on her lower lip. When she finally spoke, she said:

"I like red for both." She tilted her head, and smiled. "But paint the black squares, not the white – it's going to be an early July baby, I can sense it," she said. "Those colours don't run."

Gibbs smirked at her, and nodded. He folded his arms and stood in the middle a moment, and then he went over to the changing table and picked up two pieces of wood. He brought them over.

"I had Anna and Katharyn put their handprints on these," he said. "'M gonna hang 'em up. They wanted to help decorate."

Jenny reached out and touch the tiny painted handprints; that explained why there had been finger-paints on her daughter's hands when she gave them baths. She flicked her eyes up and stepped forward, leaning in to kiss him quickly.

"You said you didn't have time to do this for a month," she said quietly.

He gave her a sly look.

"Wouldn't have been much of a birthday surprise if you'd known I was doin' it," he drawled.

He turned and placed the painted wood back on the changing table, and joined her in the doorway, looking around. He stood behind her and draped on arm over her shoulder. She touched his fingers.

"I never liked this room in limbo," she said softly. "Playroom, office, playroom, office," she tilted her head back and forth. "I like it like this."

"Me too," he mumbled, pressing his lips to her throat.

He took a deep breath and let it out.

"Jen?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"You find out what it is?"

She shook her head, and he gave a pained sort of groan, good-natured, and shook his head; he had wanted to know, and she'd said she decided at the appointment and let him know later. She smiled, and laced her fingers into his.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" she asked lightly.

"No," he mumbled. "I was talkin' to Dad today," Gibbs told her lazily. "He wants a boy."

"So does mine," Jenny murmured. She laughed quietly, and shook her head. "I don't know why," she added. "Dad practically expects us to name him 'Jasper,'" Jenny shuddered, "and that just ... can't happen."

"What's your Dad's middle name?" Gibbs asked.

"Jethro, do you seriously not know my father's middle name?"

He shrugged, and cleared his throat sheepishly – no, come to think of it; it had never really come up. Jenny smirked.

"He doesn't have one," she revealed.

Gibbs rolled his eyes at her – that's why he hadn't known, and that's why it hadn't ever come up in previous baby name discussions.

"I've come to expect girls," Jenny said good-naturedly. "We're good at girls."

Gibbs nodded, and he slipped his arm around her waist, his hand resting on her abdomen.

"Jen," he said warily, as if he was trying to get himself together. She turned her head slightly – he sounded like he was about to broach a topic that was hard for him. "I don't care what it is," he said sincerely. "Long as it's healthy; I'm fine with doin' the same letter thing for the name, but," he paused again. "Jen, if it's a boy, I want 'is middle name to be Tobias."

Jenny smiled softly – she hadn't thought about Tobias Fornell in a long time, but she realized he must be someone her husband still thought about, still missed, every single day. She knew it was probably difficult for him to ask for that, because it meant exposing a certain rawness, and she turned her head, nodding gently.

"Not his first?" she asked lightly, teasing him.

Gibbs made a face, pressing his forehead against her temple.

"C'mon, Jen. Tobias Gibbs, son of Leroy Jethro?"

She laughed softly. She licked her lips, and then turned a little more.

"Well," she began hesitantly. "What do you think of Thomas? Thomas Tobias?"

Gibbs shrugged. He nodded.

"You think it's a boy?" he asked neutrally.

Jenny grinned, and shook her head, thinking of how hard a time Hetty had trying to get any sort of angle.

"No, I think it's a girl," she corrected.

Gibbs gave her a wry look, and pressed his lips to her jaw.

"Good," he muttered aggressively. "We're pros at that."

Jenny licked her lips, and smiled, resting her head against his – she really was content to wait, no matter what she thought or felt about what they'd end up with – and it was nice to have a boy's name picked out already, since girls' names were so much easier – hell, maybe that was a sign in itself.

* * *

_April 4th, 2023_

* * *

_tommy gibbs ! squeal !  
or will our next initials be a double female MM (you wouldn't believe me if I told you I was using Madelyn, would you?)_

_-alexandra_


	4. Birdhouse

_a/n: so, the reason for the title becomes clear._

* * *

_"Birdhouse"_

_Washington D.C. / Stillwater, Pennsylvania_  
_May-ish, 2023_

* * *

She was siting next to Lionel Tribbey on an immaculately clean white couch in the oval office when her phone began to buzz insistently. She flushed - she thought it had been on silent – and reached for it swiftly.

Tribbey didn't look at her – only the Chief of Staff afforded her a mild glare. She was about to ignore the call when she noticed the area code – Stillwater. Struck with confusion, she stood up quietly, holding up her hand and moving discreetly away from the meeting.

She never received calls from Stillwater; they always went straight to Gibbs, even if Gibbs didn't answer – and she felt worried, suddenly, like something had happened to her husband.

"Hello?" she answered quietly, keeping her voice impossibly low. "Jackson?"

"No – ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you," came a tired, stressed male voice. "You're acquainted with Jackson Gibbs?"

Jenny turned her back to the group, furrowing her brow.

"Who is this?" she asked.

There was a harried sigh.

"I need to know whom I'm speaking with first," he said grudgingly.

She frowned.

"This is his daughter-in-law," she said curtly. "Jennifer Gibbs."

"Ah," the man sighed. "Leroy's wife?"

Jenny grit her teeth – small towns; she forgot how eerie small towns could be.

"Yes, this is Leroy's wife," she said, warily.

"Mrs. Gibbs, I couldn't get your husband on the phone – "

"This is not a good time for me, Sir," Jenny said abruptly, aware Tribbey was glaring over at her periodically. "I'm in the middle of a meeting – "

"Mrs. Gibbs, I'm sorry," he said, cutting her off. "I tried to get Leroy on the phone – "

"He might be in the field," she said. "I can give you the number of his switchboard – "

"Mrs. Gibbs."

This interruption was more defeated, patient. She paused, and bit her tongue, sighing heavily.

"Who are you?" she asked tensely.

"My name is Dr. McNeil," he began.

Jenny pressed her cell phone against her ear to listen – and then it felt like the room suddenly went utterly silent; like she was alone, and the world halted for a moment. She listened, and his words seemed loud, indecipherable – and when he hesitated, she said –

"What?"

-in a soft, startled voice.

Dr. McNeil sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know you said this was a bad time."

"No, no," she murmured.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and covered it, staring down at her hands. She took a deep breath, and then she turned. She walked quickly over to the couch.

"Lionel," she said quietly. "I need to step out."

He turned, one hand braced on his knee. The President looked up at her, pausing in his recitation of their legal arguments. He waited to see if he could continue. Tribbey nodded his head, his brow knitted mildly, and Jenny swiftly exited the oval office.

She leaned against a bookcase and put the phone back to her ear, taking a deep breath.

"Dr. McNeil?" she asked.

"I'm still here, Mrs. Gibbs," he said calmly.

She swallowed hard. She composed herself a moment, and reached up to press her hand to her forehead.

"What happened?" she asked hoarsely.

"It was a stroke," Dr. McNeil told her quietly. "A young man who works at the General Store with him found him this morning. There was nothing we could do."

Jenny stood against the bookcase, using it for support. She couldn't think of anything to say – anything appropriate, anything that meant something. This man was telling her that her father-in-law, that Jethro's father, had died this morning – and nothing could have prepared her for it.

"He wasn't sick," she said finally, the air rushing out of her chest. "He…he wasn't sick."

"He was old," the doctor said sympathetically. "His heart was okay, he wasn't dealing with cancer," he agreed, "but strokes are…unpredictable."

"Would he have suffered?" Jenny asked, her voice cracking.

She swallowed hard, closing her eyes tightly.

"No, I don't think so," Dr. McNeil assured her. "It would have happened very fast."

She nodded to herself.

"But he was alone," she said, almost desperate. "If he hadn't been alone…?"

"I don't know, Mrs. Gibbs," the doctor said hesitantly. "It was a very bad stroke."

Jenny blinked heavily, and nodded. She took a deep breath, and lightly ran her hand over her hair, trying to compose herself. While she was quiet, she heard the doctor shuffling around, and then he cleared his throat.

"If you give me that number for your husband, I can call him – "

"No," Jenny interrupted softly. She wiped under her eyes, and checked to see if black mascara was running yet – it wasn't. "I'll talk to him, Dr. McNeil. Can you," she paused. "We're his only family; can you have the," she took a steadying breath. "Can you have the coroner call me, with details? This number is fine."

"Yes, Mrs. Gibbs," the doctor said. "I can do that."

He sounded kind – tired, but kind and sympathetic. Jenny was grateful – she wouldn't want to be in his shoes, having to call and effectively ruin someone's day.

"I am sorry," Dr. McNeil said.

Jenny nodded, quietly thanking him – she wanted nothing more than to be off the phone.

She was slipping it into her pocket when the doors to the oval office opened, and the meeting came walking out, murmuring and shaking hands. She straightened up and composed her face; Tribbey spotted her and came over, hands in his pockets.

"You aren't," he paused, and then jerked his chin at her. "Having it?"

To her surprise, that made her laugh – it was such a wary, nervous, male-ish question for Tribbey to ask. She shook her head.

"I've still got a month or so, Lionel," she said quietly.

She straightened up, and rubbed her forehead.

"I need to go," she said frankly. She met his eyes tensely. "I've had – there's been," she broke off. "Lionel, my father-in-law just died; I need to leave."

He looked taken aback, and then he nodded quickly.

"Yes, go home – I can get Hayes on your casework," he said.

"I may need the next few days," she warned him. "He's – he's out in Pennsylvania, a coal mining town."

Tribbey nodded again, looking leery.

"We can hold down the fort, Jennifer," he said, reaching out to pat her shoulder awkwardly. "Get us some practice for when you're out with," he gestured at her abdomen, "that."

Again, she surprised herself by laughing hoarsely at his awkwardness. She cleared her throat – and set her shoulders back sharply as the President himself approached.

"Lionel," he said gruffly, shaking the Counsel's hand. He turned and extended his hand to Jenny. "Jennifer."

"President Romney," she said, and then cleared her throat. "Pardon me," she requested.

"I hope everything is alright?" he asked politely.

She nodded shortly. She managed a small, sincere smile.

"I hope the legal challenges of the majority leader aren't too nebulous," she said tersely.

"I can further discuss that with you, Mr. President," Tribbey said, turning towards him to give Jenny an out.

She inclined her head and retreated, reaching for her cell phone. She thought she heard Tribbey excuse her with something murmured about a family emergency, and she knew that would hit the President in just the right place, family man that he was.

She kept taking deep breaths on the way back to her office, and she held her phone against her ear again, calling the first person she knew could keep her steady. He answered his secure Pentagon phone on the first ring.

"General Shepard."

"Daddy," she said, unexpectedly choking on her words. "Gibbs' father just died."

* * *

Her father wasn't able to leave work right away, but he met her at the house on Laurel Street about two hours after lunch, in full uniform, and looking grave. He met her at the door with a tight hug, and she buried her head in his chest for a moment before ushering him in.

"Noemi can pick Anna up, too," he said gruffly. "She's already on her way to Kate."

Jenny nodded, breathing a sigh of relief; she didn't want Anna and Katharyn around just yet. She'd called Jethro and asked him calmly but firmly to come home as soon as he could get away – immediately when he was finished with what he was doing. She found out from Callen that they'd been in interrogation when Stillwater had tried to call.

"So," the General said, sighing heavily as he sat down on the couch with Jenny. "What happened?"

"He had a stroke," she said tightly, shaking her head. She lifted her shoulders shakily. "The doctor who called me…he seemed to think it wouldn't have mattered if someone was there," she went on heavily.

She sighed and reached up to rub her forehead.

"I have a headache," she murmured to herself.

Other than that, and the overwhelming grief she was unprepared for, she felt okay, health wise – and she knew both her father and Gibbs were going to be concerned about that.

"I can make you tea," the General said gruffly.

Jenny waved her hand a little, shaking her head. She straightened up. Her father looked at her sympathetically, and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"I can help you make arrangements, Jennifer, I can keep the kids," he started to offer.

She sighed shakily.

"I don't know, Dad," she mumbled hoarsely. "I have to talk to Jethro. I think he'll want to make arrangements and," she licked her lips, "I know they're little, but we'll at least take them to Stillwater with us. They love him," she reached up to cover her mouth, closing her eyes.

Jasper Shepard leaned forward and put an arm around her, pulling her into a hug. She tried not to cry too much – it wasn't going to fix anything – but it was difficult to resist. Jackson meant a lot to her; he was the man who'd raised Gibbs, and he'd opened his home to her when she was in college. He'd been supportive and welcoming, and he'd been just as good and loving to her children as Jasper himself was.

The General ran his hand over her back and rested his chin on her head.

"I'd like to go, Jenny," he said gruffly, resolved. "Noemi and I, we'd want to be there."

She nodded wordlessly; that meant a lot to her, too. She knew her father got along well with Jackson, even if they weren't together that often.

He kissed her on the forehead and leaned back, smiling gently. She sighed and rested her hand on her abdomen for a moment.

"I wasn't even … he's always been so feisty, Dad," she said. "He wasn't sick, there's no warning," she looked at him with fear in her eyes. "That scares me – are you going to drop dead on me?"

Her father looked at her skeptically, then hastily tried to look more understanding, and shook his head.

"Jennifer, the Taliban – "

"Please don't talk about the Taliban or ISIS or anyone else who tried to take you down and didn't," she said faintly.

He fell silent, and in that silence, the door opened, and Gibbs came in. He paused, looking startled that there weren't dogs attacking him with joyful barks immediately – Jenny had put them outside and out of her mind for a moment – then he slammed the door, and looked even more wary when he saw the General.

"Jen," he said abruptly, dropping his keys onto the floor. "What's wrong?" he asked shortly. He came forward quickly, moving around the couch – he almost knocked the General out of the way, crouching down. "Is something wrong with you? Are you –"

"I'm fine, Jethro, I'm okay," she interrupted quickly, sucking in her breath and turning to him. She reached out and grabbed his hands, holding them tightly. "_I'm_ okay," she said again, meeting his eyes.

He looked down, and reached out.

"The baby?"

"We're both okay," she soothed.

He reached up and touched her cheek, brushing his knuckles against the tears. He pulled one hand out of her grasp and braced it on his knee, looking between her and the General.

"Jasper," he grunted. "What the hell's going on?"

Jasper hesitated, looking at Jenny.

"Look, son," he started.

Jenny shook her head sharply.

"Jethro," she said, taking a breath. "Your father died, Jethro."

Her husband stared at her, his cool blue eyes sharp, frozen for a moment. He moved his head a little, and clenched his jaw.

"Jen – what?" he said bluntly. "Dad's fine."

She shook her head slowly.

"He had a stroke, Jethro," she said softly. "He died this morning. A doctor – a doctor in Stillwater called me – " she broke off again.

She swore under her breath, unable to hold back tears, and angry at herself for crying when this was his father who had died, his father gone forever. She felt Gibbs rest his hand heavily on her shoulder, rubbing gently.

Gibbs looked at the General, and Jasper tightened his jaw. Gibbs looked back at Jenny, staring at her. He squeezed her shoulder tightly, unsure if he was hearing her correctly – his father was the toughest old bastard in Pennsylvania; he was old, but he wasn't – that old.

Gibbs grit his teeth.

"What the hell are they callin' you for?" he growled, choosing to express anger. He reached up and rubbed his jaw harshly. "You don't need the stress, or the shock," his eyes narrowed.

Jenny took his hand from her cheek and held it, giving him a placating look.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Women are sturdier than that; we always have been," she murmured.

She took a deep breath, and brought his hand to her mouth to kiss his palm. He pulled his hand away, and while she wasn't necessarily surprised, it bothered her.

"Why didn't they call me?"

"They tried, Jethro, they – "

Her cell phone rang, and she fumbled into her suit pocket for it. She looked at the number briefly and then answered as steadily as she could; she had asked for the call.

"Hello," she paused. "Yes, this is she. Yes, he's my father-in-law."

Gibbs started, and reached for the phone. She held up her finger, and shifted the receiver.

"I asked them to have the coroner's office call me – "

"I'll deal with this, Jen," he said sharply, taking the phone from her.

The General gave him a look, but Jenny relinquished the phone with relief. She didn't think Gibbs was prepared to deal with it, but she – selfishly – didn't want to do it, either. She didn't want to hear the details of what would be done with her father-in-law's body; she hadn't yet experienced death in a situation where she had to be one of the people who _dealt_ with it.

Gibbs walked towards the kitchen with the phone, and she heard him disappear into the backyard.

Her face crumbled, and she shook her head sadly.

"I knew he'd take it hard," she said hoarsely. She looked at her father. "He just – it hasn't been _that_ long since his mentor died, and now his father," she said, swallowing tensely.

She wiped at her eyes. She steeled herself for a moment.

"Dad," she said clearly, looking to him for advice. "How do I tell my girls?" she asked in a low voice. "I don't…remember much about Grandmother dying."

The General cleared his throat and leaned back, running his palms over his knees. He thought back to the year both of Kimberly's parents had died, the year he'd taken Jennifer to Germany when he'd deployed, and he frowned.

"You were older," he allowed, "but Anna's old enough to know what it means," he decided. "Katharyn…Jennifer, I think she'll bounce back; it will baffle her a little, but she'll be easier to console."

Jenny nodded, watching him earnestly. Jasper sighed heavily.

"You told them when Gibbs' boss died?"

"Yes but – they didn't know him," Jenny said weakly.

Jasper nodded.

"But they've had the subject before – I think you should just sit them down calmly and explain that he's in a," Jasper suddenly looked baffled, and tilted his head. "I don't know what you'd tell them – are they…Catholic?"

He realized he hadn't asked. Kimberly's parents had been Catholic. They had taken Jenny to church all the time, they had talked about religion, but Jasper had never kept that up after they died, he had no idea what Gibbs' felt about religion, and he wasn't sure what his granddaughters knew.

"I think Noemi tells them bible stories," Jenny said, blanching. "I don't mind when she does – Dad, did I screw up?" she asked, an edge in her voice. "Can I…how can you explain death to little kids without God – I never even … it's not that we're atheists, I'm just not – "

"Take it easy, G.I. Jen," her father murmured, speaking up quickly. He didn't want to get caught shaking Jenny up if Gibbs came back in. He waved his hand. "They're not going to get into all that; they're just gonna ask where he went, if they ask anything."

"What do I say?" she asked desperately.

Jasper sighed tiredly.

"He's in a better place – "

"That's so generic, it's a platitude, it's – "

"Jennifer," the General said. "Jennifer." He waited for her to listen to him. "They're young children. I understand your generation's need to … be honest and raw with kids and raise them like progressive little bleeding hearts, but they're children. And some things can be discussed better when they have the mental grasp to deal with it. You just start small, and honest."

Jenny closed her eyes. She bent forward and put her face in her hands, nodding. She swallowed down some more tears, and she looked up sharply – intently – when Gibbs came back into the room.

He crouched down and rubbed his jaw, tossing her phone carelessly onto the couch.

"You okay, Jen?" he asked again. He reached out for her, touched her forehead, and rested a hand on her knee. He curled his knuckles and pressed him against his temple.

She nodded reassuringly – she was upset, but she wasn't going to faint or go into labor or anything. She searched his eyes for some sign of what he was feeling, but he was good at hiding it. He grit his teeth and turned to look at the General, knuckles still pressed into his forehead.

"He had money set aside, for this," he grunted. He looked back at his wife, and then rubbed his hand over his eyes. He sighed tiredly, held his hand there a moment, and then ran it back through his hair. "I said I'd call 'im back with a funeral date," he said gruffly.

Jenny nodded. She licked her lips.

"I can take the rest of the week," she said supportively. "We can leave – tonight – "

He interrupted her.

"M not draggin' you and the kids to Stillwater in the middle of the night – "

"Jethro, we're coming with you," she snapped fiercely. "I loved your father – Anna and Katharyn love it there – "

Gibbs grit his teeth.

"I can go down ahead of you," he said tightly. "Set things straight."

Jenny looked at him aggressively, and the General sensed he needed to step in; he cleared his throat.

"Why don't you two talk to the girls tonight," he suggested neutrally, "and Noemi and I will keep them for a day or two – I figure the best time for the service is Saturday," he added.

Gibbs looked like he would protest, but Jenny gave him a look.

"That sounds okay, Dad," she said softly. "That sounds – "

"Jen, I don't want to put any extra stress on you," Gibbs said harshly, his voice brittle.

She turned to him, completely ignoring her father's presence for a moment, and she took his face in her hands, shaking her head firmly. She looked at him intently, refusing to break eye contact, and she parted her lips.

"You are not going to bury your father alone," she said in a quiet, firm, and immoveable voice.

He looked frustrated, but she was able to see past that, to the grief hidden deep in his blue eyes.

* * *

It was an unfairly sunny, bright, and warm day in Stillwater the day of Jackson Gibbs' funeral. The service was short, simple, and attended by a multitude of the small town – all people who loved and respected the jovial old man who ran the General Store.

Katharyn and Anna, dressed nicely in pale pink and green dresses respectively, where showered with well-meaning attention – their colourful dresses stood out, but a quaint part of Jackson Gibbs' will had been that he didn't want his beloved granddaughters 'cloaked in black.' The will had been around since Anna was born; Jackson was the kind of man to be prepared.

Gibbs handled the technical arrangements; Jenny handled the social aspect of things. She was the last at the burial site, graciously waiting for others to leave, keeping an eye on the girls, and she was also the one to see people out of the General Store after the small reception – the last woman to go was a familiar face, if a familiar face from many years ago.

"Jenny," she said pleasantly, smiling a watery smile as she clasped the redhead's hands.

"Mrs. Fielding," Jenny said.

Katharyn and Anna scampered up; their faces solemn, though they were restless, and Katharyn leaned against Jenny. Mrs. Fielding smiled down at them bravely.

"They look so much like Leroy," she said.

Jenny smiled softly.

"Yes, they do," she agreed. She ruffled Anna's hair. "Especially this one."

Mrs. Fielding nodded.

"He's a very good father," she remarked, almost wistfully. Jenny wondered if she was thinking of her late daughter, Shannon, and she felt a pang of grief unrelated to her father-in-law's death – and she nodded in agreement to the statement.

"When are you due?" Mrs. Fielding asked.

"End of June," Jenny answered.

Mrs. Fielding held her breath – it seemed so close, so awful for Jackson to have missed it. Jenny bit the inside of her lip to keep herself steady.

"He was so proud," Mrs. Fielding said honestly. "He could never stop bragging about Leroy's kids, his wonderful grandchildren."

Jenny bit her lip harder, but it didn't help. Her eyes filled up. She leaned forward and lowered her voice.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fielding," she said honestly. "It makes me happy to hear that."

Mrs. Fielding nodded. She reached out and patted Jenny's hand, and then she crouched down.

"Your Pops was a great man," she said. "He always watched out for my daughter," she said, looking between Katharyn and Anna. "He loved you very much."

Anna smiled at her.

"He _still_ loves us," she said. She pointed behind her. "My Mi-Mi told me."

Mrs. Fielding smiled softly, and nodded; she liked to hear that. She stood up, said a small goodbye to Jenny, and left with her husband – Mac Fielding was waiting a long way off; he, understandably, abhorred funerals.

Jenny looked down at the girls. Katharyn looked up at her, and then she held up her hand.

"Daddy said I can keep this flower," she said, her eyes wide. "Can we keep it in water and make it stay alive?"

Jenny nodded. Katharyn was holding up one of the lilies from a funeral wreath someone had sent, and it was lovely. Jenny turned and crouched as best as she could; she tucked it into Katharyn's hair and kissed her forehead.

She reached out and pulled them close, one under each arm.

"Are you okay, girls?" she asked softly.

Anna nodded. Katharyn shrugged.

They seemed to have adjusted to the news okay; Anna had cried when they told her that Pops had died, and that had set Katharyn off – but Jenny was convinced Anna had started crying because she sensed Jenny's own distress.

They had been quiet and respectful and well behaved during everything – though they had not been allowed at the wake – and Jenny was proud of them, and so sorry they had lost their grandfather so young.

Katharyn reached out and touched Jenny's abdomen, chewing on her lip. She pulled her hand back with a grin when she felt it move, and Jenny smiled at her. Her father approached her, and gave her his hand, helping her up.

"What do you think, Kit Kat, Banana?" he asked, looking at the girls. "You want to come get some lunch with Mi-Mi and Grandpa?"

Katharyn nodded, darting over to him. Anna stayed put, looking up at Jenny. She frowned, her eyes big.

"Is Daddy okay?" she asked sensitively.

Jenny turned and looked towards the back yard. Gibbs was near an old tree, his back to them, studying something in his hands. She licked her lips, and turned back to Anna.

"He's sad, Anna," she said honestly. "It's hard for him to lose his father."

Katharyn took her grandfather's hand and swung it. Anna's face crumbled, and she hiccuped a few times, looking worried.

"I don't want to lose Daddy," she whimpered. "Is he going to go, too?"

Jenny opened her mouth, and started to lean back down, but Jasper crouched down first, and put his arm around Anna.

"Anna-Banana," he said gently. "You come inside with me and we'll talk," he coaxed. "You, me, Katty and Mi-Mi – your daddy is going to be just fine," he said, and glanced up at Jenny. "I think he needs a minute alone with your mommy."

Jenny looked between Anna and Gibbs; she didn't want to leave her crying daughter, but she also knew this entire week had taken a massive toll on Gibbs; he'd been collected, unreadable, and stoic – as good a father as ever, but distant, and she did want to talk to him.

Anna snuggled up to Jasper and nodded, and Jenny felt relieved; she'd have stayed without question if Anna said she wanted her, but if she were okay to be comforted by the General, Jenny would go talk to Gibbs and get him to warm up.

Jasper took the little girls inside, and Jenny took a deep breath. She pushed her long red hair back and approached her husband quietly, stepping around in front of him – he had an old birdhouse in his hands, a birdhouse she distinctly remembered him making when they were still dating.

He was examining some nicks in the wood, his eyes tightly furrowed. She reached out and placed her hands on his, stilling their movements. He raised his eyes to hers slowly. He held her gaze for a moment, and then he smirked, a hollow, heavy smirk.

"He was lookin' forward to it, Jen," he said huskily. He looked down. She knew he meant the new baby, and she nodded, squeezing his wrist.

"I know, Jethro," she said huskily.

Gibbs nodded. He looked up, and looked around; it felt like he had shaken Stillwater off. He didn't have to come back here; he didn't have to see the places his mother had loved, or the places he'd gone with Shannon – his father was dead, and all that was left was the deed to the store, and material things.

There was a time when he'd never have thought he'd feel the blow this harshly, but Jenny had changed all that – when she'd formed a relationship with his father, helped him repair his.

Gibbs grit his teeth, and looked down at the birdhouse. He was going to take it back with him, hang it from the tree in his backyard that shaded the doghouses, and the rabbit hutch.

"How are the girls?" he asked.

Jenny licked her lips.

"They're resilient," she said softly. "They'll be okay. Anna's worried about you," she said.

"I'm fine," Gibbs grunted.

Jenny smiled sadly.

"You?" he asked, eyeing her protectively.

Jenny rested her hand on her abdomen and nodded – she was safe and sound. She would let him worry about her if that was how he grieved.

Gibbs held the birdhouse in one hand, and reached up to rub his forehead.

"You need to take it easier, Jen," he said dully.

She nodded.

"I'm starting maternity leave a week before my due day, Jethro," she soothed. "I'm worried about you, right now."

He looked at her, and gave a little shrug, a small smile.

"'M okay, Jen," he said.

He stared at her a moment after he said it, and then he closed his eyes. He turned around and leaned against the tree, and he slid down to the ground. He set the birdhouse down, and then he put his palms against his eyes.

He sat there for a long time.

She moved closer, and rested her hand near his forehead, unable to easily sit down with him. It seemed like an eternity before he stood up, reached for her, and hugged her tight.

There was a lot to be done; he was going to stay a day or two and take inventory of things, deal with the management of the store, and she was going to go back to work – but they had a moment to grieve alone, and she was glad he finally took it.

He pressed his forehead into her shoulder, and her neck, and then pressed his lips against hers.

She clutched his shoulders, and laughed huskily into his shoulder, and nodded at the shed behind him.

"We fooled around in that shed, in your Camaro," she choked out nostalgically. "God, thirteen years ago. More, less? Before we had kids," she remembered.

"We did more'n fool around, Jen," he answered huskily.

He pulled back, and touched her cheek, clearing his throat.

"He loved you, Jen," he said. "Dad."

Jenny nodded. She pressed her palms against his chest.

"He loved you, too, Jethro," she assured him quietly.

Gibbs looked at her a long time. He nodded, and he pulled her into his chest, resting his cheek on her head, protecting himself from her intense gaze. He closed his eyes tightly, and then took a deep breath.

He knew his dad wouldn't have wanted him torn up about this; Jackson, the man who stared death down and refused to be cowed by it – he'd dealt with his wife's death, with the death of Shannon Fielding, so much better than his son had, and Gibbs had to learn that from him.

He had things to look forward to, and people to be strong for – he needed this moment of weakness, but he couldn't lay the burden on his wife – in another month or so, they'd have a new baby.

Gibbs caught Jenny's eye, and looked at her guardedly.

"Wish I could've told 'im if it was a boy or a girl," he grunted quietly – Jackson had been so keen on a grandson.

Jenny smiled gently, sympathetic to that. Jackson would have liked to know – but to her the grief lay not in that he wouldn't know if he had a grandson or a granddaughter, but that he wouldn't know the new baby at all.

She bit her lip, and raised her eyes a moment, blinking back tears.

"We'll just have to tell war stories about him," she said, letting out a small, breathless laugh.

Gibbs nodded, and smirked a little – Jackson would like that. Gibbs set his shoulders back, and reached down to pick up the birdhouse, tucking it under his arm and leading Jenny towards the house.

"You'll have to hang it in the backyard," she said, reading his mind.

He nodded, and snorted.

"If we have a boy," he said gruffly, "we'll see if I can piss him off enough to make 'im knock it down, when he's older," he drawled.

Jenny laughed hoarsely, and leaned into him.

"If it's a boy," she said dryly, "you promise me you'll do half as good a job on him as your father did on you."

Gibbs squeezed her arm gently, and kissed her lightly on the temple, giving her that silent promise – she smiled to herself; she certainly hoped there were men like Jackson still out there, raising men like Jethro – and she trusted her husband to do a damn impressive job with his own son– she just hoped she could learn how to raise a boy, if that's what they got this time.

* * *

_May-ish 2023_

* * *

_-alexandra_  
_:(_


	5. Jackson

_a/n: i promise you this is their last baby._

* * *

_"Jackson"_

_Alexandria, Virginia / Georgetown, D.C. / Bethesda, Maryland  
July 2, 2023_

* * *

She opened her eyes wide and stared at the ceiling, one hand lazily dangling off the bed and stroking the ears of whichever dog was laying on the floor. She winced, counted under her breath for – _58, 58, 60_ – a minute, and then frowned; she wanted to err on the side of caution here.

She pulled her hand to her stomach and then rolled over, pushing her hair back. Her husband was sleeping flat on his stomach with his mouth open; he looked dead to the world, and she stared at him for a moment.

"Jethro," she whispered, yawning.

He grunted at her without opening his eyes. She leaned closer.

"Jethro," she sang.

"'M listenin'," he mumbled tiredly.

She yawned again – she was tired, too; she'd been trying to get one last night of sleep in, but it seemed she wasn't going to be able to wait until the next evening. She'd been timing herself for the past hour, laying half-awake, trying to get some sleep.

"I'm having the baby," she said.

He grunted again, and then opened his eyes.

"Right this second?" he asked, deadpan.

Clearly, things changed from the first child to the third; both of them had done this twice before, and she grinned at how unconcerned he sounded. She shrugged a little.

"Seven minutes apart," she said. "Consistent for an hour."

Gibbs closed his eyes again, yawning.

"Thought Hetty said we could wait until five," he mumbled.

She kicked him.

"Get up," she ordered. "What if I accidentally have the baby right here in this bed?"

He wrinkled his brow, and kept his eyes closed.

"At least go sit in the bathtub," he drawled.

She laughed, and kicked him again, reaching out to shake him. He whined at her.

"I thought we had one more night of uninterrupted sleep!"

"Me too," she said grudgingly. "But the contractions sped up – come on, we have to take the girls to Dad's house."

He grunted, and then he sat up, alert immediately – he'd forgotten they had to make a stop before the hospital, so they probably did need to get going now. He rubbed his face and blinked a couple of times. Jenny sat up. She winced and leaned forward, closing her eyes. She grit her teeth. Gibbs reached over and ran his hand over her back until it was over, and then got got up and went to grab some comfortable clothing.

"Jesus," Gibbs muttered, checking the time. "It's four in the morning."

"I think it'll be over by nine," Jenny said, with a final yawn.

She went into the bathroom for a toothbrush.

"I'll call your Dad," muttered Gibbs, fumbling around for his cell phone.

He picked it up, turned on the bedroom light, and went to a drawer for his own clothes. He balanced the phone between his ear and his shoulder and waited for his father-in-law to answer. Without any formalities, Jasper did:

"Is she ready?"

"Uh-huh," Gibbs confirmed, nodding his head a little. "We're leavin' the house in a few."

"I'll be up," Jasper said – he had agreed to watch Anna and Katharyn when the time came, because neither Jenny nor Gibbs thought it prudent to have them running around the hospital for hours on end. They'd be bored, it would stress Jenny out, and there was no point in risking them catching something like the flu or – god knows what.

Gibbs gave him a quick estimation of time, slipped his phone into the back pocket of his jeans, and then looked up for his wife. She was coming out of the bathroom, and she looked pale. He knew she wouldn't complain if she was hurting, since she was expecting it, but he still felt for her.

She took a deep breath.

"My water broke," she said in a wary voice. "Not dramatically, but, we should go."

It made her a little nervous, because the past two times she'd had her water broken by the doctor once labor had already started.

He nodded, and abandoned shifting through his clothes and just grabbed an old, faded t-shirt.

"Go ahead and get in the car," he suggested. "I can get the girls."

"I'll get Katharyn."

"Jen," he said, in a warning voice.

She held up her hands, and relented. She would rather go sit quietly in the car and close her eyes and try to ignore the contractions. Besides, she might inadvertently snap at the girls if she was hurting, and they didn't deserve that.

Jenny left the room and went downstairs, and Gibbs went first into Anna's room and crouched by her bed.

"Anna," he said gently, shaking her shoulder. He pushed her hair back. "Anna," he said again, smiling. She opened her eyes, and he gave her a serious look. "Code Grape; this is not a drill," he announced quietly.

Anna and Katharyn had been calling the baby 'grape' since they had seen the ultra sound, and as it got closer to Jenny's due date, Gibbs had explained to them what would happen when he had to take Mommy to the hospital.

Anna sat up slowly and yawned.

"I wanna hold it," she said sleepily, stumbling over her words.

"It's not here yet, Anna-Bee," he said, standing up. He lifted her out of bed and ruffled her hair. "Can you go get in the car with Mom? Take a stuffed animal or something if you want while I get your sister."

She nodded quickly, and stumbled to her bookcase, grabbing an _I Spy_ book and a stuffed animal and scampering obediently out of the room. Gibbs went one room down and crouched next to Katharyn's bed in the same way. It was harder to wake her up, but she finally popped open two eyes and peered at him through knotted blonde hair.

"Time to go, Sniper," he said gently. "Mommy's having a new baby!"

"No thank you, please," Katharyn mumbled. She rolled over and yanked the covers over her head. "I'm tired. I stay here."

Gibbs grinned. He pulled the covers back firmly and swept Katharyn up into his arms – she was pushing five now, but she was still extremely easy for him to pick up. She whined at him, and then glared blearily.

"I want to stay your baby," she murmured stubbornly, furrowing her brow. "Nobody ask me about this."

Gibbs laughed, and adjusted his grip, holding her scrunched up just like a baby. He kicked one of her stuffed animals up into his hands, and then left her room, taking her downstairs – he didn't bother with putting the dogs in the backyard; they were so well trained now, he could leave them in the house.

"It's gonna be fun, Kitty," Gibbs promised, carrying her down the stairs. "You're always gettin' mad because Anna is the big girl. Now you're the big girl, too."

Katharyn stared at him. She smiled a little sleepily.

She had seemed a little more worried, as the time got closer, about what it would mean to have a new baby sibling. Anna, even though she'd been very young when Katharyn was born, seemed to inherently understand things would be fine, her parents would still love her; but Katharyn had no such experience.

"Is it a baby girl?" Katharyn asked, as he paused on the front step and locked the door.

"We still don't know," Gibbs said matter-of-factly, taking her to the car. He opened the door and fastened her into her car seat, reaching over to make sure Anna was buckled in properly, too.

"What don't we know?" Jenny asked pleasantly.

"Boy or Girl," Gibbs grunted.

Katharyn looked at her mother as Gibbs shut her door and got in the front seat.

"Can we name the baby Lucifer?"

Jenny turned around and stared at her.

"_What_?" she asked abruptly, startled.

Gibbs, though, snorted, and reached over to rest his hand on her thigh.

"Jen," he placated. "It's the cat, in _Cinderella_."

Jenny grit her teeth, and gave Katharyn a testy smile.

"No, we cannot name the baby Lucifer."

Katharyn yawned, and shrugged.

"I like Lucifer," Katharyn sighed.

Jenny faced the front, an appalled look on her face. Gibbs just laughed again.

"Jethro – what if she says that at – school or – "

Gibbs gave her a deadpan look as he started the car, and made a ghoulish face.

"We'll tell her teachers not to interfere with her religious rights."

"It's not funny," Jenny said dryly.

He snorted again, and Anna sat forward, trying to catch someone's eye in the rearview mirror.

"Mommy," she said succinctly "I want to watch the baby come out."

Jenny closed her eyes slowly, trying not to groan aloud.

"Why don't you and Katharyn both go back to sleep."

To no one's surprise, both Katharyn and Anna retorted with a unanimous "NO."

* * *

Jasper Shepard leaned into the car as Jenny rolled the window down – Gibbs had helped the girls out of the car and was taking them to Noemi at the front door.

"How's it goin'?" the General asked neutrally.

Jenny winced at him, and smiled.

"I think I got the hang of it," she managed tensely.

Jasper grinned, and looked back over his shoulder; Gibbs was still talking to Noemi. Katharyn had taken it upon herself to sit down on his shoe, probably in a small attempt to keep him from leaving.

"How're they taking it?"

"Well, Anna wants to look at my vagina, and Katharyn wants to name the baby after Satan," Jenny retorted bluntly.

The General looked appalled, and then confused, and then he cleared his throat gruffly.

"Your – after – what?" he blustered.

Jenny lifted her shoulders, sighed, and then managed a small, wry smile.

"Little kids," she said smoothly. "Every day is an adventure."

He grunted.

"You leave it to me," he said. "I tell Noemi about the Satan thing, she'll get out one of them beaded things your grandmother always had."

"Rosary, Dad."

"Yeah," the General grunted.

He slapped the side of the car and straightened up, giving Gibbs a nod as he came back. Gibbs reached out to shake his hand, and Jasper wished him well, bending back down to give Jenny a small salute.

"Jasper Shepard, Jr, eh?" he teased.

Jenny rolled her eyes and waved him off. She pointedly hit the button to roll up her window, and her father backed off, giving them a wave. He turned, and Jenny watched as he picked up Katharyn from the porch and ushered everyone inside.

"I hope he makes them go back to bed," Jenny said, turning back to Gibbs.

"They're antsy now," Gibbs said. He shrugged. "They'll get bored waiting and fall asleep," he guessed. He looked over at her, and reached for her hand. "You okay?"

"Mm-hmm," she murmured, through gritted teeth.

He let her squeeze his hand as he got back on the route to Bethesda Naval Hospital. She sighed heavily, and took a few deep breaths. Then, she smiled, relieved that one was over.

"I want to be done," she said.

"You're almost done," Gibbs said gruffly.

He looked at her, and grinned. She wasn't sure if he was referencing her almost being done with labor, or the fact that she really was _done_ after this – she was set to stay in the hospital for an unusual four days, because she was having her tubes tied as soon as possible – which was 48 hours after delivery - assuming all things went well.

She could have waited six weeks, but then she'd have to start a recovery period over, she'd have to extend how long she had to wait before sex, et cetera - she'd decided to just do both recoveries together, while she was on maternity leave and had time to take it slower, especially since Noemi had – eagerly – offered to be over a few days a week to help her out.

She gripped Jethro's hand hard again, and rested her head back against the seat, closing her eyes lightly. She smiled – she _was_ excited; she was looking forward to holding a baby again, but she was also relieved that after this week, there'd be absolutely no chance of an unexpected pregnancy again.

* * *

Jasper Shepard had been kidding himself when he thought his granddaughters would fall peacefully back to sleep once they arrived; instead, he'd been up for an hour while he calmed them down, and then when he and Noemi had finally gone back to bed at about five-thirty, the dog had woken them up - and to his chagrin, Anna and Katharyn were attacking them happily and asking sweetly for breakfast a mere two hours later.

He usually liked to sleep in on Sundays – as in, sleep until ten, if he could make it – but that wasn't going to happen.

He sat at the dining room table with Jenny's kids, looking at them solemnly. They giggled at him, both on one side of the table with him at the other, while Noemi cooked bacon and pancakes for them all.

"You want a baby brother, or a baby sister?" Jasper asked seriously.

Anna put her hand on the table.

"Sister!" she said. And then she opened her eyes wide. "But Mommy says we should just hope it is healthy."

"Yes," Noemi said emphatically. "You pray for healthy, that all that matters."

"I don't want a baby," Katharyn said pleasantly. "I want a dragon."

"Dragons aren't real," Anna said primly. "They're fic-shun-al."

"You sound like your mother," Jasper snorted, smirking at Anna.

He looked back at Katharyn.

"I think you'll change your mind," he said kindly. He crinkled his eyes a little. "But if you could pick, what do you want?"

"A boy," Katharyn sighed. "My friend at school got a brother. He silly," she said, beaming.

"Boys are GROSS," Anna said emphatically.

"I'm a boy," Jasper said.

"No," Anna said seriously. "You're a big grown up _baby_. Mommy _says_."

Noemi burst out laughing, and Jasper stared at Anna in mock outraged. He closed his mouth and then folded his arms and pretended to pout, making a mental not to ask Jennifer just what the hell she was telling her children.

"Grandpa," Katharyn piped up. "We go see Mommy now?"

He looked at his watch.

"Your Dad is going to call when it's almost time, so we won't have to wait a lot," he explained.

"How long is it gonna take?" Anna asked curiously.

"Well," Jasper said. "It can take a long time. You only took an hour or two," he said, and then turned to Katharyn. "But _you_ took a whole _day_."

Katharyn gasped at the drama, and Anna giggled.

"Pops?" Katharyn asked. Her eyes were wide suddenly. "It takes him for-_ev_-err to get here, will he miss it?"

Noemi swiftly crouched beside the youngest girl, and patted her shoulder.

"Your other _Abuelo_ is in better place now," she reminded her, pointing to the ceiling – Katharyn was the one who had trouble grasping the permanence of Jackson Gibbs' death.

"Oh, yeah," Katharyn said, nodding. She squinted up at the ceiling, and waved.

"But he can see?" Anna asked.

Noemi and Jasper shared a look – only because Jenny was wary about them being told too many 'fanciful' things while they were still too young to grasp the intricacies of religion and secularism.

"I think he know," Noemi said diplomatically. She touched Katharyn's heart, and then Anna's. "You know him, he know," she said gently.

Anna shrugged, nodded, smiled and stood up in her chair.

"_Grandpa_," she said quickly. "When we were in Pennsie-vanie saying bye to Pops, Mommy showed us where her old kitten is buried," Anna took a deep, dramatic breath. "His name was BLANKET. Isn't that silly?"

Jasper grinned good-naturedly – it hadn't been that long since their grandfather had died, and the girls remembered – Anna in particular – that they usually spent Independence Day with him, and the memory was kept fresh by the reminder that they were staying in Virginia this year.

"Banquo," he corrected, remembering the old cat well. "It's a _noble_ name," he began, gearing up to tell them a – slightly fanciful – story of the kitten's origin, "and one time, when he was still a little baby kitten, a hunchbacked troll tried to impress a smart Princess by giving him to her … "

Noemi slapped him in the back of the head, but he smirked wickedly and continued – he hoped Anna repeated this tale to Gibbs.

* * *

Gibbs handed his wife a second cup full of ice chips and sat down gingerly on the bed next to her, folding his arms patiently. She popped one into her mouth, colour back in her cheeks – epidurals did wonders.

"Did you ask?"

"No," Gibbs grunted.

"And why not?

"Because I didn't want to," he retorted stubbornly.

She rolled her eyes – all she wanted to know was how many centimeters she was.

"All the things you've done to my vagina, and you can't ask how open it is?"

"Nope," Gibbs said curtly, shaking his head.

She rolled her eyes again, and shook her head. She'd simply asked him to check in with a nurse or Dr. Lange and see if it was happening any time soon – it was after ten in the morning; she was feeling inexplicably … lazy. She was usually elbow-deep in legislation or White House legal briefs at this time.

"I could be at the Senate," she announced blithely.

Gibbs snorted.

"You could be at work," she said frankly, pointing at him.

"I was at work last time," he growled, still annoyed about it.

Jenny shrugged – well, this time was going to go perfectly; no bleeding, no Jethro missing it – that much, she could sense.

"Last call," she said suddenly, sighing. She looked up and met his eyes. "You think it's a Thomas Tobias, or a Madelyn Morgan? "

She smirked, and he shrugged, looking down at his arms. His jaw twitched a moment, and then he looked back up at her, shrugging again. He shook his head a little.

"It really doesn't matter to me," he said gruffly.

She nodded – she knew that; she just wondered if he wanted to make any last minute changes to their plans. The female name was set in stone – it was another homage to her grandmother, since her grandmother had been Abigayle Katherine Morgan, and Gibbs had picked the name Madelyn for some reason unbeknownst to her, but she was glad he'd found it, because before that, he'd still been pushing for Grace, and she had absolutely no ideas for a middle name that also started with G.

"I can't decide," she murmured. "What do you think the girls want?"

Gibbs grinned, shaking off his momentary tenseness.

"The Prince of Darkness," he joked.

Jenny jerked her knee over and hit him with it hard, giving him a glare – he thought Katharyn's little comment was just _so_ damn funny. He'd be singing a different tune if he'd ever had to deal with the uptight granola mothers at the Montessori school – which he always let her deal with since she was the 'diplomatic' one.

Jenny sucked thoughtfully on another ice chip, and she sat forward a little, reaching out.

"Jethro," she started, catching his eye for a serious conversation. This time of year, they usually were in Stillwater already, getting ready for the small town Independence Day festival – and even thought they wouldn't have made it with a new baby anyway, Jackson surely would have come to them. She hesitated, and said: "I was thinking – " she began.

Hetty opened the door to her room and breezed in with a nurse behind her. Gibbs stood, welcoming the distraction, and Jenny leaned back, crunching on some ice. She let her head roll back, and stared at the fluorescent lights in the ceiling as Hetty sat down near her feet and moved some sheets around.

"Ten centimeters," she said brightly, and peered up at Jenny. "Ready for round three?"

Jenny nodded, relieved, and Gibbs stepped up closer to her head, running his hand in a soft massage over her shoulders.

* * *

It was an easy labor, once she was ready to deliver – Gibbs only missed about three minutes, when he stepped out to call Jasper and tell him to come up to the hospital – and when it was over, Jenny was sitting up, perfectly alert and healthy, waiting for Gibbs to bring her the baby – she had been right; there were no mishaps this time.

The sound of the newborn screaming was a relief – it was loud crying, more aggressive than her other two babies – and Gibbs was grinning smugly as he brought the bundle over, careful to keep the blanket loosely around –

"It's a boy," he said proudly, sitting next to her. She reached out to take him, and Gibbs cupped the infant's head, gently placing him into Jenny's arms.

She pushed aside the blanket to confirm, and she beamed, a warm affection erupting in her chest – this was a good feeling, a feeling she was glad she got to experience one last time.

She bent her head forward and kissed his nose, her eyes stinging. She blinked and looked up at Gibbs, and he grinned at her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

"He's bigger than Katharyn," he said, almost gloating – Katharyn had been bigger than Anna.

Jenny took a deep breath, and nodded, looking back at him. His eyes were closed and he was still crying – and she was exhausted, but content. She held him closer, well aware that she'd only have a minute or so before the nurse took him to clean him up and get him squared away.

It was Gibbs who took him back and handed him to the nurse, and then he was gone – and Hetty came over to double check Jenny's vitals, before leaving to get someone to move her to a recovery room where they'd bring in the baby as soon as possible. Jenny sat up and winced – she was sore all over; her epidural was wearing off. Gibbs pushed back her hair and moved forward to kiss her on the lips.

"I love you," he growled hoarsely.

She smiled, her cheeks flushing; he sounded so proud, and she had always liked hearing that tone in his voice – that sort of 'look at what we did' brag. She wondered what he'd be like with a boy – he'd already made her fall in love with him a thousand times over with the way he took care of the girls. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, resting her head against his chest – this was a happy moment for them both, one of the three brightest moments in their lives – and she knew he needed it badly.

* * *

Gibbs thought Jenny's father must have – wisely – taken the girls to get some clothes before he brought them, because it was longer than an hour before he said he was on his way. It was considerate; he seemed to know Jenny and Gibbs would want a little bit of time alone, time to get refreshed – and that was something neither of them had considered.

Jenny sat up in bed in the maternity ward, feeling a little refreshed – she'd brushed her hair, washed her face, changed into some soft pajamas instead of a hospital gown – and she had the baby back; a nurse had brought him in in one of the rolling plastic cribs a few minutes ago.

The place for his name was still blank, but his statistics were there – nine pounds, seven ounces, twenty-one inches long, blue eyes – a surprising amount of brownish fuzz on his head. Jenny ran her hands over the soft hair, furrowing her brow.

"The other two didn't have hair," she murmured, licking her lips. "I don't know if I like this," she laughed. "Ooh, it's creepy," she whispered affectionately.

Gibbs smiled at her, seated in a chair pulled up impossibly close to the bed. He thought it was odd that he had hair, too – but then, both of Leon's kids had been born with hair, so he knew it wasn't abnormal. Gibbs reached out and took one of the baby's hands, holding it gently. He was half-awake – he kept opening his blue eyes to stare at his mother, and then closing them again.

"I want his eyes to stay blue," Jenny said wistfully, clicking her tongue.

"Nah," Gibbs spoke up. "C'mon, Jen, I want _one_ with your eyes."

She shrugged.

"Katharyn's eyes will be greener as she gets older. They're already not as blue," she remarked sagely. She made a soft humming noise at the baby. "I want a little son with those legendary Gibbs eyes," she sang quietly.

Gibbs watched her for a moment, and then flicked his eyes down to his son. He felt, for a brief moment, a hollow sadness in the pit of his stomach – his old man had been so eager for a grandson, and he wasn't here to meet him. The happiness of the day easily outweighed the old grief, but it did strike him a little hard.

He must not have hid it well.

"Jethro?" Jenny asked softly, tilting her head.

He sucked in his breath, and looked up at her. He cracked a small smile, and lifted one shoulder.

"Nothin', Jen," he placated gruffly. He shook his head a little, and then rubbed his jaw. "I just," he paused, and then grudgingly admitted it – she was his wife; she wouldn't tell anyone about a weak moment. "Wish Dad was here."

She licked her lips, and nodded, her gaze sincere.

"I know," she said. She looked down at the baby boy, and smiled shakily. "I really thought he was a girl," she said huskily. She turned to Gibbs, and winked. "I think he put in a good word, up there," she joked softly.

Gibbs grinned. He was quiet another moment, and then he took a deep breath.

"Look, Jen," he started. "I was thinkin' – and we can change 'is middle name, or," he broke off, and then he gave her a determined look. "I think we should name 'im Jackson. I think Dad would like that."

When she didn't protest, he went on.

"I'd call 'im Jack," he said. "It's a good name. Strong – "

She nodded, and he faltered.

"I think so, too, Jethro," she said quietly, her green eyes glittering. She compressed her lips. "I wanted to ask you if you'd like that," she told him. She hesitated. "You weren't – I know you don't like talking about it," she said astutely. "I didn't want to bring it up."

He swallowed hard, and nodded his head.

"I'd like that," he said hoarsely.

Jenny looked down at the baby, and pulled him close, rocking him gently.

"Jackson," she said warmly, nodding again for emphasis. "Jackson Tobias – "

"We can call 'im Jasper, too," Gibbs said gruffly. "The letters thing – "

"Jethro, don't be ridiculous," she said bluntly, giving him a look. "Jasper is a terrible name. Jackson Jasper is worse – he'll have to join a circus."

"_Tobias_ \- " started Gibbs warily.

"—was a hell of a young man who took my best friend to Prom and who sacrificed his life for this country," Jenny said firmly. "I _like_ Jackson Tobias. It sounds distinguished," she decided. "Besides," she murmured. "The alliteration…it works with the girls. It sounds odd on a man."

Gibbs smiled a little, content. He was relieved – he'd never mention it to his father-in-law, but he really, really disliked the idea of a son named _Jasper_. It reminded him of that stupid little cartoon ghost.

"And we can call him J.T., like Justin Timberlake," Jenny said wryly.

Gibbs glared at her.

"You're ruining the moment," he growled.

There was a knock on the door, and a nurse opened it.

"Mrs. Gibbs? Your mother and father are here, with your daughters. Would you like me to let them in?"

Jenny took a deep breath, and Gibbs nodded at her.

"Yes," she answered bravely. She didn't correct the nurse's assumption about Noemi.

She was about to introduce two little girls to a new baby – it was a new step for her.

A moment later, the General stepped in, followed by Anna and Katharyn. Noemi brought up the rear, and closed the door gently behind her.

"You be very careful, girls," Jasper said sternly.

Katharyn ran _carefully_ up to Gibbs and immediately claimed his lap, scrambling up with a half-worried, half-excited look on her face. Anna came up to the bed.

"Hi, Mommy," she said quickly. "Do you feel okay?"

Noemi smiled proudly – she had told the girls it would be nice if they asked after their mother, and she was glad Anna had listened. Jenny smiled and nodded firmly, reaching out with one hand to pinch Anna's cheek gently.

"I am perfect, thank you," she answered.

Anna rose up on her tiptoes.

"What is it?" she asked pointedly. "Grandpa says I get a dollar if it's a girl," she bragged.

Gibbs glared.

"You're teaching them to gamble?" he demanded.

The General waved his hand at his son-in-law, rolling his eyes. He looked pointedly at his daughter.

"Well, Jennifer?" he asked formally. "What have I got?"

"You?" she snorted. "I," she started, and then she amended herself: "We," she began again, "have a _boy_."

Katharyn sat up straight and gasped, a look of delight on her face.

"Is he named Jethro too?" she asked immediately.

"Hey," Jenny said wryly, winking at her husband. "Jethro starts with a J."

He gave her a look, and she laughed, moving her eyes to Katharyn's.

Anna bounced up and down, frowning. Then she smiled.

"Is he named Kristoff?" she asked sneakily. "'Cause then we can change Katty's name to Elsa – "

Gibbs gave a pointed groan, glaring mildly at Anna – were they back on that again? – and Anna beamed at him, batting her lashes.

"No," Jenny said, laughing. "Anna, Ana _married_ Kristoff – you'd want a _brother_ named something else – like Luke - "

"Is his name Luke?" the General asked loudly.

"Hans," Katharyn said darkly, talking over him. "Mean Hans."

Jenny gave her a look. She glanced at Gibbs.

"Lucifer, Hans," she said under her breath. "I think we're raising Wednesday Adams."

At that point, the General leaned forward impatiently.

"Jennifer, what's the boy's damn name?" he demanded.

Noemi kicked him.

"Jackson," Gibbs supplied shortly. "Jackson Tobias."

He sat forward a little, pointing Katharyn towards the bed.

"Look, Kate," he said gently. "Lean forward –don't put your hands on Mommy – look up a little," he said, showing her the new baby.

Jasper looked at his wife, and then looked at Jenny over Gibbs' head, his gaze intent. He recognized both names, of course; he remembered every young male who'd ever spent time around his then-teenaged daughter.

"Don't be jealous, Daddy," she said wryly, winking at him. "I don't think the world can handle two Jaspers storming around."

He nodded, giving her a meaningful look – he understood. Still, he couldn't resist – he didn't want Gibbs to think he was getting soft –

"You couldn't have settled on Jackson Shepard Gibbs?" he groused lightly.

Gibbs tilted his head.

"Haven't signed the birth certificate yet – " he started.

"No," Jenny said firmly. She glared at her father. "He's got the Gibbs' name and Shepard blood; leave it how it is."

The General grinned, and Jenny took a deep breath.

"Gibbs name." Katharyn crooned. Daddy," she piped up suddenly, switching gears. "Grandpa called you Kazzy-momo."

"What?" Gibbs asked sharply, distracted.

Anna giggled loudly.

"Quasimodo," she pronounced correctly. She crinkled her nose, smirking. "Daddy - he told us you gave Mommy a kitty to make her like you - "

Gibbs turned around and glared at his father-in-law.

"Banquo wasn't a _bribe,"_ he growled. He narrowed his eyes. "She didn't have three kids with me because of a damn cat - "

Jenny took a deep, pointed breath, and shook her head good-naturedly. She cleared her throat, and leaned forward a little, catching her oldest's eye.

"Anna," she began firmly, drawing conversation back to the star of the moment, "if you crawl up here and sit with me, you can hold him – he's small and cuddly, and he won't bite."

Katharyn clicked her teeth for emphasis, and Gibbs hoisted her up on the bed next to her mother while Anna scrambled up. The little redhead, six-and-a-half going on seven, snuggled under her mother's arm and waited patiently, while Katharyn knelt and watched. Noemi stepped up next to Jasper; both of them content to wait their turns. Gibbs supervised sharply, but Jenny seemed at ease; she braced a pillow behind one of Anna's arms, and carefully placed Jackson into the exaggerated cradle the little girl made.

Anna giggled, scrunching up her nose.

"He's so teeny!"

Jenny smiled, and sat back a little, giving Anna some trust. She put one arm around Katharyn, and pulled her close, kissing the crown of her head.

"He's not so bad, is he?" she asked fondly. She felt a brief moment of panic, with three kids in her lap - from newborn to almost seven - and then it faded; she had time to freak out later. Still - it was hard for her to believe that Anna would be practically out of the house when Jackson was still in elementary school.

Jackson squirmed in his blanket, and stared at Anna. She smiled at him, and his eyes moved around, probably searching for the familiar green of Jenny's. He started to cry, and Anna gasped sympathetically.

"It's okay, baby."

"Jackson," Jenny supplied promptly. "You can call him Jack."

"Like Pops?" Anna asked astutely.

Gibbs nodded.

"Yeah," he said gruffly.

Jackson started to fuss – not too loudly yet, but insistently, and Jenny reached over to calm him, resting her hand on his chest.

"Is he _always_ going to do that?" Katharyn asked.

Gibbs laughed, and leaned forward to kiss the back of her head reassuringly.

"Yes," he assured her matter-of-factly.

Jasper Shepard snorted, and Jenny smiled at Katharyn, giving her an encouraging smile. She glanced up after a moment, and met Gibbs' eyes – they knew they were going to have their hands full with three, but Jackson had a good, strong legacy behind his name – a blessing – and this time, with a new baby, she didn't feel so much at a loss for what to do with more kids, but like an old pro – and she could tell Jethro was just as confident that they could do this.

* * *

_July 2, 2023_

* * *

_yeah, about the tubes tying thing ... i did some research and it all said you can have it done that fast after a normal delivery...then i asked my mom and she told me she had hers tied the day after her last baby was born so, yep! in case you thought it was weird. _

_the end!_

_-alexandra_


End file.
